Cemeteries

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how many cases of  (a) successful and  (b) unsuccessful litigation there have been from injuries and deaths caused by falling gravestones and memorials in church cemeteries in the last 20 years.

Stuart Bell: Statistics are not available for the last 20 years but Ecclesiastical Insurance, which insures the majority of Church of England churches, has handled less than 20 claims relating to gravestones in the last10 years.

Criminal Records

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people resident in Northern Ireland have criminal convictions in foreign jurisdictions; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: It is impossible to determine an exact figure relating to offences committed abroad, since there is no general requirement for foreign police forces to notify the PSNI of offences committed by residents of Northern Ireland while overseas. Nor are foreign nationals migrating to Northern Ireland required to declare convictions for offences committed in another jurisdiction. However, in the case of serious offences committed within Europe, the Council of Europe Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance applies, in which case notification is given to the host countryof the offender in question. Via this mechanism,519 people resident within Northern Ireland have so far been identified as having committed criminal offences abroad.

Prisons: Drugs

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons responsibilityfor the drugs rehabilitation of prisoners in Northern Ireland was not transferred to the Department of Health in April when responsibility for all other aspects of prisoners' healthcare was duly transferred; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Prison Service's strategy toward drug and alcohol misuse is based on the twin pillars of security, in terms of reducing supply, and on working with prisoners to reduce their addiction, principally through the input of voluntary community support organisations in each establishment.
	To have transferred part of the budget at this stage could have jeopardised the implementation of the strategy, though the Service intends to review the position as the partnership with HPSS more widely develops.

Prosecutions: Costs

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Solicitor-General what the average cost was of a prosecution within the former Director of Public Prosecutions' system of prosecutions in  (a) magistrates' courts and  (b) the Crown Court in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: The former Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland did not hold information on the average costof prosecutions. While some unit costs may be identifiable, the overall cost to the Department of any case it prosecuted, as a percentage of the overall cost of its total workload, is not.

Members: Correspondence

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will reply to the letter of 9 March from the hon. Member for Warley regarding appointments to the BBC Trust.

Tessa Jowell: I apologise for not replying sooner to the letter of 9 March from the right hon. Member for Warley regarding appointments to the BBC Trust.
	I can confirm that I responded on 4 June.

Departments: Public Relations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by her Department on public relations in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government was created on 5 May 2006.
	In the Financial year, 2006-07, the department spent £843,000 on external public relations agencies. PR agencies have been used for four campaigns—home information packs, tenancy deposit, fire kills and the local e-govt take-up campaign.
	Figures for the Department's agencies are notheld centrally and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
	Figures for spend on public relations by the Department's predecessor department, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, could only be disaggregated from the Office's total spend on publicity and information campaigns at disproportionate costs.

Departments: Publicity

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on advertising by  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government (created on 5 May 2006) and its predecessor department, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has spent the following on advertising over the last five years (May 2002-May 2007). The increase in spend in the Financial Year 2006-07 was due to the department running an increased number of campaigns, in addition to the on-going fire safety activity. The additional campaigns included local authority on-line services, home information packs, changes to the fire safety legislation for businesses, the introduction of the tenancy deposit scheme, and the female fire fighters recruitment campaign.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2002-03 3.347 
			 2003-04 4.49 
			 2004-05 5.04 
			 2005-06 4.7 
			 2006-07 10 
		
	
	Figures for the Department's agencies are notheld centrally and could be supplied at only disproportionate cost.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of EU mechanisms for the delivery of aid to the Palestinians; and whether any changes to the policy are planned for the 2006-07 financial year.

Hilary Benn: The European Community and EU member states use a variety of mechanisms to deliver aid to the Palestinian people. Since the suspension of direct budgetary support in March 2006, the EU created the temporary international mechanism (TIM) in order to deliver aid directly to the Palestinians. The European Commission and the World Bank have begun a review of the TIM. A report is expected in June.
	The UK Government and other EU member states will wish to consider the review's recommendations in deciding future policy on the TIM. Decisions will also be based on an assessment of the Palestinian National Unity Government's progress towards Quartet's three principles fox engagement. These are renouncing violence, recognising Israel and signing up to previous peace agreements.

Agriculture: Subsidies

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what yield tothe Exchequer from the abolition of the agricultural buildings allowances is expected in each year to 2010-11.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	Over the course of the 2008-09 and 2009-10 financial years, Exchequer receipts from the staged phasing-out of the agricultural buildings allowance (ABA) from incorporated agricultural businesses are expected to be negligible.
	For the 2010-11 financial year, receipts are expected to increase to £5 million.
	The corresponding figures for unincorporated agricultural businesses cannot be reliably estimated separately from industrial buildings allowances (IBA).
	Over the next year, HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs will produce a regulatory impact assessment of the withdrawal of IBAs and ABAs, in time for the first phase of their withdrawal in April 2008.

Offshore Industry: Licensing

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Planning For A Sustainable Future White Paper, under what circumstances he envisages a marine management organisation not acting as the consenting body for developments in the marine area.

Ben Bradshaw: The proposed Marine Management Organisation would, in principle, be responsible for marine developments except for those that fall within the scope of oil and gas consenting provisions and a small number of major offshore renewable energy and port developments.
	The Government proposes that an infrastructure planning commission should determine applications for development consent for offshore renewable energy projects capable of generating more than 100 megawatts of power. We are consulting on the threshold above which the commission will determine port projects. The White Paper "Planning for a Sustainable Future" (Cm 7120) has an illustrative threshold for ports of container facilities with:
	(i) an annual capacity of 0.5 million or more twenty-foot containers
	(ii) roll-on/roll-off facilities for 250,000 units or more per year
	(iii) or any bulk or general cargo facility with a capacity for five million tonnes or more each year.
	It will be for devolved administrations to determine which bodies will determine consent for marine developments for which they are responsible.

Offshore Industry: Licensing

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether he plans to transfer his authority to issue consent for the licensing of offshore oil and gas infrastructure to the proposed Marine Management Organisation; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether a decision has been made to transfer the licensing of offshore oil and gas infrastructure from the Department for Trade and Industry to the proposed Marine Management Organisation; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on the future licensing of offshore oil and gas infrastructure; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry meet regularly to discuss matters of mutual interest, including the delivery of the Government's energy policy.
	As we set out in the recent Marine Bill White Paper, the current system of licensing oil and gas infrastructure and activity works well, and there is no compelling evidence that integrating it with others would achieve any benefits. The Government therefore intends the Department for Trade and Industry to remain responsible for delivering this service.
	The circumstances in which authority is required from the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for activities associated with oil andgas exploration and exploitation are very limited: essentially the sub sea injection of produced waters and drilling muds. We are considering whether this function would in future best lie with the Department for Trade and Industry or the proposed Marine Management Organisation.

Companies: Bankruptcy

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State forTrade and Industry how many companies filed for bankruptcy in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The term bankruptcy applies only to individuals; companies go into liquidation. The statistics published by the Insolvency Service relate to those companies and individuals who actually become insolvent, not to numbers of applications/filings made for insolvency. Company winding up and bankruptcy petition court statistics in England and Wales are published by the Ministry of Justice and are available online at:
	http://www.iustice.gov.uk/news/newsrelease110507.htm.
	The following table shows the number of company liquidations since 1997 in the UK:
	
		
			   England and Wales  Scotland  Northern Ireland 
			 1997 12,610 477 n/a 
			 1998 13,203 566 n/a 
			 1999 14,280 572 n/a 
			 2000 14,317 583 n/a 
			 2001 14,972 602 n/a 
			 2002 16,306 788 102 
			 2003 14,184 631 142 
			 2004 12,192 621 121 
			 2005 12,893 569 138 
			 2006 13,137 549 128 
			 n/a = Not available.

Energy Technologies Institute: Wales

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many bids from Welsh research bodies or consortia were made to host the Energy Technologies Institute; and what criteria were adopted in choosing the five short-listed bids.

Malcolm Wicks: One bid to host the Energy Technologies Institute was received from Wales. This was from the Welsh Energy Research Centre, an independent all Wales collaborative body formed by research groups from the universities of Cardiff, Swansea, Glamorgan and Bangor, and from the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research. This bid was not shortlisted.
	The key selection criteria used to identify the five short listed bids were:
	 Reputation and Culture
	World class reputation for R and D across a range of energy themes;
	Strong existing industrial and academic relationships, with sustained collaborative working and networking track record.
	 Space, Facilities and Location
	The ability to expand to provide a suite of office/conferencing facilities commensurate with the developing needs and aspirations of the ETI; a showcase for the ETI;
	Good communications and access.
	 Commitment to ETI
	Demonstrate strong and sustained senior management commitment, leadership and drive.

Marketing: Trade

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what guidance he has provided to regional development agencies (RDAs) on international marketing strategy; and by what criteria he measures the effectiveness of strategies adopted by RDAs.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 22 May 2007
	Each individual RDA is responsible for developing and delivering its own international marketing strategy.UK Trade and Investment works closely with RDAsto strengthen their marketing strategies through operational support overseas and collaborative promotion of the UK economy as a whole. There is no formal guidance or measurement for this activity.

Minimum Wage: Enforcement

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many employers were fined for underpayment of the minimum wage in each yearsince 1999.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	To date no employers have been fined for underpaying the minimum wage. In January 2007 DTI published the NMW penalty notice policy. In line with this, since February 2007 HMRC have been issuing penalty notices for those who fail to comply with an enforcement notice. In May 2007 the DTI published a consultation document to explore options for issuing penalties in all cases where arrears are due and for awarding fair arrears to workers.

Minimum Wage: Enforcement

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State forTrade and Industry what monitoring processes his Department has in place to detect employers claiming excessive deductions from minimum wage payments for accommodation costs.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	HMRC operates a National Minimum Wage Helpline, which any worker or third party can call to register a complaint about possible non-payment of the minimum wage. Complaints about non-payment of minimum wage can also be made via the HMRC website. HMRC also has a risk assessment programme to identify employers and sectors at risk of breaching the minimum wage rules, including those at risk of claiming excessive deductions for accommodation costs.

Public Buildings: Energy

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State forTrade and Industry if he will discuss with ministerial colleagues the proposition that all Government Departments, local government and public sector organisations should be instructed that it is a requirement  (a) that all new public buildings should install low carbon electricity and heat generators powered by natural elements and  (b) that they be encouraged to do the same for existing buildings.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department of Communities and Local Government is already working with other Government Departments to determine how to improve the overall energy efficiency of both new and existing non domestic buildings, including those owned or occupied by the public sector. An integral part of the work is to look at how low and zero carbon technologies can contribute to this improvement.
	Additionally, the UK Government sustainable procurement action plan which was published on the5 March 2007, sets out detailed plans about how the Government will move towards a sustainably built and managed central Government estate. This includes using sustainable procurement to make rapid progress against the cross-Government sustainable operations targets announced in June 2006.

Rover Group: Subsidies

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much and what proportion of the own resources of  (a) Advantage West Midlands and  (b) English Partnerships has been spent since establishment, excluding private sector leverage and European Union funding resources directly allocated by Government to deal with the MG Rover situation, on projects located within the administrative boundaries of Birmingham city council.

Margaret Hodge: Excluding private sector leverage and European Union funding directly allocated by Government for MG Rover, Advantage West Midlands and English Partnerships have spent the following amounts on projects located within the administrative boundaries of Birmingham city council.
	
		
			  Advantage West Midlands from 1999-2000 to present date 
			   Amount spent  ( £000 )  Percentage of annual spend 
			 1999-2000 11,906 11 
			 2000-01 15,268 13 
			 2001-02 24,294 15 
			 2002-03 36,173 16 
			 2003-04 70,789 23 
			 2004-05 49,442 17 
			 2005-06 49,760 18 
			 2006-07 48,310 17 
		
	
	
		
			  English Partnerships—  spend in 2004-05 and 2005-06 only( 1) 
			   Amount spent (£000)  Percentage of total budget 
			 2004-05 2,807 (2)0.6 
			 2005-06 13 0.002 
			 (1) EP spend pre-1999 has not been provided due to the disproportionate costs of retrieving the information. (2) 0.5 per cent. of this (£2,752,925) was refunded by AWM in 2006-07 which meant HP's actual expenditure was 0.1 per cent. (£53,970)  Note: Further expenditure was incurred during 2006-07 but cannot be reported until year end accounts are completed.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much was raised from the sale of property by the House in each of the last five years.

Nick Harvey: No land or buildings have been sold during the last five years.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission 
	(1)  what properties the Commission  (a) owned and  (b) rented in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what recent estimate has been made of the value of the  (a) Commons part of the Palace of Westminster and  (b) other parts of the parliamentary estate that fall under the responsibility of the Commission;
	(3)  what the cost to the Commission of leasing buildings and office space was in each of the last five years.

Nick Harvey: Title to the freehold of the Palaceof Westminster is held by the Sovereign. Title tothe remaining freehold property on the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate is held by the Corporate Officer of the House of Commons. This includes the following land and buildings:
	Portcullis House
	Norman Shaw North
	Norman Shaw South
	1 to 3 Parliament street
	1 Derby Gate
	1, 2 and 4 Canon Row
	Abingdon street car park
	11 Bridge street
	The House has long-term leases on both 22 John Islip street and 102 Rochester Row, and the buildings at 7 Millbank and 2 The Abbey Garden are rented. During the last five years parts of 4 Millbank havealso been rented for short periods to provide decant facilities during the refurbishment of buildings within the parliamentary estate.
	At 31 March 2007 the value of the Commons share of the Palace of Westminster was £716,742,302 and other freehold and long-term leased property on the parliamentary estate totalled £393,716,798. Further details about the parliamentary estate are published in the House of Commons Administration Resource Accounts 2005/6 (HC1453).
	The rents incurred on leased buildings were:
	
		
			   £000 
			 2002-03 6,199 
			 2003-04 6,045 
			 2004-05 6,450 
			 2005-06 6,755 
			 2006-07 6,512 
		
	
	These figures include both rent and landlord service charges where appropriate.

Food: Wastes

Madeleine Moon: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what estimate has been made of the volume of food waste generated by the food outlets on the Commons parliamentary estate in each of the last three years; what steps have been taken to minimisethis output and deal with the remainder in an environmentally appropriate manner; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: Food waste is not recorded or monitored separately from other general waste, except for used cooking oil. The quantities of cooking oil collected in the last three years are as follows:
	
		
			   Tonnes 
			 2004-05 6.36 
			 2005-06 12.21 
			 2006-07 12.17 
		
	
	This used cooking oil is sent to a processing plant which converts it to biodiesel fuel.
	Following a joint meeting between officials and the House's waste management contractor in December 2006, it was concluded that an insufficient quantity of suitable waste is produced on the parliamentary estate for it to be economic or practicable to collect separately food waste for composting. Only a small amount of raw food waste suitable for composting is produced, as most fresh fruit and vegetables purchased by the Refreshment Department are pre-prepared off-site.
	Food waste is disposed of within the general waste stream; this is collected and sent for incineration, which is harnessed for electricity generation.
	The potential for schemes such as composting and the generation of methane from biodegradable waste will continue to be reviewed on a regular basis and we have set ourselves challenging targets taking account of such future developments in recycling.
	The House has set a target of 44 per cent. for recycling of waste in 2007-08, and the current policy for waste recycling is to increase this target by 5 per cent. per year.

Palace of Westminster: Security

Dai Davies: To ask the hon. Member forNorth Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether Ministers attending the House for Question Time or other Parliamentary business should wear their security passes in a visible position at all times.

Nick Harvey: In his statement of 11 September 2003, Mr. Speaker said that although he recognised that it was impractical for Members to wear their passes at all times, it was essential for them to carry their passes and to co-operate with the security staff if they are asked to produce them. Members are advised not to wear passes in the Chamber to avoid them being shown on television. Members should avoid wearing passes away from the parliamentary estate. No distinction is made between Ministers and other Members.

Absent Parents

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what definition his Department uses for absent fathers; and how many and what proportion of British men fit this definition, broken down by age group.

James Plaskitt: Following the introduction of the Child Support, Pensions and Welfare Reform Act 2000, the Department has ceased to use the term 'absent parent', using the more appropriate term, 'non-resident parent', in its place.
	However section 3(2) of the Child Support Act 1991 defines a parent of a child as an 'absent parent' if:
	(a) that parent is not living in the same household with the child; and
	(b) the child has his home with a person who is, in relation to him, a person with care.
	We estimate that non-resident parents account for around one-tenth of the adult male population. This figure includes all non-resident parents, not only those who have a case at the Child Support Agency. This figure was reached by dividing the number of non-resident parents (assumed to be roughly equal to the number of parents with care) by the total number of adult males in the UK.
	Unfortunately, the number of non-resident parents broken down by age group is not available.
	A breakdown of non-resident parents who have a case with the Child Support Agency by age and gender is available in the Agency's Quarterly Summary Statistics, tables 23 and 24 respectively. The Quarterly Summary Statistics is available from the House of Commons Library, or online at the following address:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_support/csa_quarterly_mar07.asp

Children: Maintenance

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Child Support Agencyhas received from amounts paid to them for child maintenance collected through deductions from earnings orders imposed after liability had ceased; and how much interest was accrued by the Agency from these amounts in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is not available.

Children: Poverty

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of children have been defined as living in  (a) absolute and  (b) relative poverty in (i) the Jarrow constituency, (ii) south Tyneside, (iii) the north east and (iv) the UK in each year since 1997.

Jim Murphy: The Government's long-term measure for child poverty uses three indicators: absolute low income, relative low income and material deprivation combined with relative low income. This measure was the result of a year long consultation initiated by the DWP.
	The available information is in the following tables. Information- using our official measure of income or material deprivation—is not available below Government Office Region.
	
		
			  Children in households in the north east below thresholds of contemporary and 1998-99 real terms median income before housing costs 
			   Below 60% of contemporary median income (relative poverty)  Below 60% of 1998-99 median income (absolute poverty) 
			  Percentage of children( 1)   
			 1997-08 to 1999-2000 34 33 
			 1998-09 to 2000-01 34 30 
			 1999-2000 to 2001-02 30 24 
			 2000-01 to 2002-03 32 22 
			 2001-02 to 2003-04 30 19 
			 2002-03 to 2004-05 31 17 
			 2003-04 to 2005-06 28 15 
			
			  Number of children (million)( 1)   
			 1997-08 to 1999-2000 0.20 0.19 
			 1998-09 to 2000-01 0.19 0.17 
			 1999-2000 to 2001-02 0.17 0.14 
			 2000-01 to 2002-03 0.18 0.12 
			 2001-02 to 2003-04 0.17 0.10 
			 2002-03 to 2004-05 0.17 0.09 
			 2003-04 to 2005-06 0.15 0.08 
			 (1) Source: FRS  Notes: 1. These data use OECD equivalisation factors. 2. Our child poverty statistics, published in the Households Below Average Income series, allow a breakdown of child poverty by Government Office Region. To provide such a breakdown requires us to use a three-year average figure of child poverty, which is defined as children in a household with an income below 60 per cent of median equivalised household income (before housing costs). 
		
	
	
		
			  Children below thresholds of contemporary and 1998-99 real terms median income before housing costs, United Kingdom( 1) 
			   Below 60% of contemporary median income (relative poverty)  Below 60% of 1998-99 median income (absolute poverty) 
			  Percentage of children   
			 1997-98 27 28 
			 1998-99 26 26 
			 1999-2000 26 23 
			 2000-01 23 19 
			 2001-02 23 15 
			 2002-03 23 14 
			 2003-04 22 14 
			 2004-05 21 13 
			 2005-06 22 13 
			
			  Number of children (million)   
			 1997-98 3.4 3.5 
			 1998-99 3.4 3.4 
			 1999-2000 3.4 3.1 
			 2000-01 3.1 2.5 
			 2001-02 3.0 2.0 
			 2002-03 2.9 1.8 
			 2003-04 2.9 1.8 
			 2004-05 2.7 1.7 
			 2005-06 2.8 1.6 
			 (1) Figures are for United Kingdom from 1998-99 onwards. Earlier years are for Great Britain only.  Notes: 1. Due to rounding, the estimates of change in numbers of children below low-income thresholds may not equal the difference between the total number of children below thresholds between 1998-99 and 200405. 2. These data use OECD equivalisation factors.

Departments: Data Protection

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times his Department was found to have been in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The definition of "found to have been in breach" can be very broad. Depending ontheir nature, breaches by Government Departments of the Data Protection Act 1998 can be dealt with bythe Information Commissioner, the Courts or by Departments at an informal local level. The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Leaflets

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of the Department's leaflets have been checked for accuracy in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed on 8 June 2001 from parts of the former Department of Social Security, the former Department for Education and Employment, and the Employment Service. Information prior to 2001 isnot held centrally and can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	Leaflets produced after 2001 were the subject of a National Audit Office study that was published in January 2006. As a result of this study the Department has commissioned a review of all 176 of its leaflets and introduced systems, supported by an electronic content management system, to ensure that its new leaflets are checked for accuracy at regular intervals.

Departments: Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many whole-time equivalent staff are employed in his Department's branding team; and what the cost was of those staff in the last 12 months.

Anne McGuire: The central branding team comprises two full-time posts. The salary ranges of these are:
	Information Officer: £31,340-£36,280
	Senior Information Officer: £38,130-£47,550
	The team remit is to advise on the development, promotion, and use of Departmental customer facing and corporate brands, to develop and promote guidelines and best practice, and to ensure consistency and clarity in the use of branding across the range of Departmental communications.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what value of annual private finance initiative payments by his Department was classified as  (a) identifiable and  (b) non-identifiable in each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Anne McGuire: The value of annual private finance initiative payments made by the Department:
	 (a) Classified as identifiable by project
	
		
			  £000 
			  Financial year  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  2001-02 
			 Provision of IT services with EDS 80,647 221,009 38,269 2,041 0 
			 Pensions Forecasting System (PFS) 2,986 0 0 0 0 
			 Wide Area Network Services (WAN) 28,781 27,234 18,456 15,087 0 
			 Logica 23,264 23,987 17,680 16,951 0 
			 Bootle accommodation 2,172 0 0 0 0 
			 PRIME 517,671 479,621 339,299 251,418 329,489 
			 Strategic Outsourcing Business Allocation (SOBA) 71,757 206,998 239,367 251,411 0 
			 New Tax Credits (NTC) 4,842 12,862 16,425 700 0 
			 Advanced Telephony Business Allocation (ATBA) 21,193 17,876 13,137 0 0 
			 Child Support Reform (CSR) 0 53,290 50,570 8,916 0 
			 Rebus 0 3,026 5,175 4,144 0 
			 HSE Health and Safety Laboratories, Buxton 3,062 1,325 0 0 0 
			 Total 756,375 1,047,228 738,378 550,668 329,489 
		
	
	 (b) Classified as non-identifiable—by project
	The Department is unaware of any non-identifiable annual private finance initiative payments made.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what value of annual private finance initiative (PFI) payments by his Department was  (a) to repay capital and  (b) expenditure on other parts of each PFI contract in each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Anne McGuire: The value of annual private finance initiative payments made by the Department:
	 (a) To repay capital—by project
	
		
			  £000 
			  Financial years  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  2001-02 
			 HSE Health and Safety Laboratories Serviced Accommodation at Harpur Hill, Buxton 3,062 1,325 0 0 0 
		
	
	 (b) Expenditure on other parts of each PFI contract—by project
	
		
			  £000 
			  Financial years  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  2001-02 
			 Provision of IT services with EDS 80,647 221,009 38,269 2,041 0 
			 Pensions Forecasting System (PFS) 2,986 0 0 0 0 
			 Wide Area Network Services (WAN) 28,781 27,234 18,456 15,087 0 
			 Logica 23,264 23,987 17,680 16,951 0 
			 Bootle Accommodation 2,172 0 0 0 0 
			 PRIME 517,671 479,621 339,299 251,418 329,489 
			 Strategic Outsourcing Business Allocation (SOBA) 71,757 206,998 239,367 251,411 0 
			 New Tax Credits (NTC) 4,842 12,862 16,425 700 0 
			 Advanced Telephony Business Allocation (ATBA) 21,193 17,876 13,137 0 0 
			 Child Support Reform (CSR) 0 53,290 50,570 8,916 0 
			 Rebus 0 3,026 5,175 4,144 0 
			 Total 753,313 1,045,903 738,378 550,668 329,489

Employment Schemes: Bedfordshire

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Work and Pensions what funding is available to organisations assisting  (a) long-term unemployed and  (b) disabled people into work in (i) Luton and (ii) Bedfordshire.

Jim Murphy: The information is not available in the form requested.

Employment Schemes: Urban Areas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 6 December 2006,  Official Report, column 524W, on city strategy partnerships, what the formula is for distributing the savings for his Department arising out of city strategy partnerships.

Jim Murphy: We are committed to paying reward funding to high performing pathfinders to encourage them to innovate, and to ensure that they have a stake in, and are able to share in the success they have in helping people into work.
	We have announced that at least £5 million of reward money will be available, and we are continuing to work on a mechanism for allocating these funds.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many former Allied Steel and Wire workers are forecast to receive  (a) 80 per cent.,  (b) 65 per cent. and  (c) 50 per cent. of their (i) expected occupational pension and (ii) core pension under the Financial Assistance Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: As FAS payments commence at age 65, (except in special circumstances where early access to payments can be applied for by scheme trustees for terminally ill qualifying members or to the survivor of a qualifying member), under the current scheme no one would be expected to start receiving payments at the rate of 65 per cent. or 50 per cent. until at least 15 May 2011 or 15 May 2015 respectively. However, our announcement of increased funding for FAS means that by then all will receive 80 per cent.
	At 65 all members will receive at least 80 per cent. of their expected core pension (subject to the cap).
	There are two qualifying Allied Steel and Wire schemes for FAS purposes.
	1. On the commencement of wind up the ASW Pension Plan (Cardiff) has advised the FAS operational unit that the scheme had 2,351 deferred members and 2,036 pensioner members. Under proposed changes to FAS and subject to the necessary legislation all eligible members of this scheme will receive80 per cent. of their core expected pension at age 65.
	2. On the commencement of wind up the ASW Sheerness Steel Group Pension has advised the FAS operational unit that the scheme had 750 deferred members and 359 pensioner members. Under proposed changes to FAS and subject to the necessary legislation all eligible members of this scheme will receive 80 per cent. of their core expected pension at age 65.

Incapacity Benefit: Disqualification

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many sanctions were imposed in Pathways to Work areas on incapacity benefit claimants who missed their  (a) first,  (b) second and  (c) third work focussed interview for each quarter since 1997.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 26 February 2007
	The information requested is not available.
	Just over 0.1 per cent (one in a thousand) of all incapacity benefit claims within Pathways districts resulted in a sanction being imposed in 2005-06.

Jobcentre Plus: Christchurch

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date notice was given to Land Securities Trillium of the intention to vacate the Christchurch premises of Jobcentre Plus.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Leslie Strathie, dated 5 June 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking on what date notice was given to Land Securities Trillium of the intention to vacate the Christchurch premises of Jobcentre Plus. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	I can confirm that we have not given notice to Land Security Trillium to vacate the Premises as we are still in the consultation period. This runs from 21 May for a 6-week period following which the findings will be communicated.

Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Services

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will hold discussions with the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus on making all jobcentre customer telephone lines freephone numbers.

Anne McGuire: The Secretary of State meets regularly with the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus. Late last year we agreed to Jobcentre Plus proposals for introducing 0800 numbers for all claims for benefit. This service is currently being rolled out nationally. Jobcentre Plus continues to use 0845 numbers for benefit enquiries and local geographic numbers for contacting jobcentres. We will keep under review the use of all these numbers.

Low Incomes

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to publish the revised Households Below Average Income 2005-06 statistics.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 4 June 2007
	 The Households Below Average Incomes 2005-06 (revised) was published on 22 May 2007.

Occupational Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written statement of 28 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 113-14WS, on occupational pensions, what the evidential basis is for his estimate that providing benefits of 80 per cent. of core pension rights to members of affected pension schemes will cost £8 billion in cash terms and £1.9 billion in net present value terms.

James Purnell: In order to determine the likely cost of the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS), datawere collected on the numbers and characteristics of 380 affected pension schemes and specific data were collected on some 1,300 members of a smaller number of these schemes expected to be representative of the overall eligible membership. These sample data have then been fed into an actuarial model developed bythe Government Actuary's Department to generate detailed time profiles of costs.
	The actuarial model calculates the amount of pension that would be paid in each year to each individual in the sample, reflecting the design of the FAS. The key pieces of information used to calculate these costs are: age, retirement age, accrued pension, percentage of pension lost and the likely longevity of eligible members and any survivors. The results, in terms of likely cash flow in each year, are scaled up to the level of the total assumed numbers of affected scheme members.
	The main assumptions used in the calculations, based on the best available evidence are as follows: 125,000 eligible pensioner and non-pensioner members; an average funding level of schemes in respect of non-pensioner members of 30 to 35 per cent.
	An average accrued pension for non-pensioner members of £3,300 per year; and longevity estimates from standard tables from the UK actuarial profession's Continuous Mortality Investigation, based on the longevity experienced by pensioners whose pensions are secured with insurance companies.
	Further information is available in the Annexto the Government's response to the report by the parliamentary ombudsman, "Trusting the Pensions Promise", published on 8 May 2006.

Pension Credit: Internet

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pension credit application forms were downloaded from the pension credit website in each month since the service has been provided.

James Purnell: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Pension credit application forms downloaded from the Pension Service website 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 January — 4,182 6,677 7,295 
			 February — 5,782 6,726 6,919 
			 March — 5,688 9,169 10,815 
			 April — 4,606 6,404 7,940 
			 May 2,502 4,151 5,513 — 
			 June 4,519 2,762 3,144 — 
			 July 4,133 4,308 4,933 — 
			 August 3,451 4,378 6,787 — 
			 September 3,787 4,523 5,054 — 
			 October 3,344 5,007 5,767 — 
			 November 4,500 7,113 6,325 — 
			 December 2,748 4,471 4,399 — 
			  Source: DWPE Communications Team, monthly Webtrends report issued by the Pension Service website.

Pension Credit: Telephone Services

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pension tracking application forms were requested  (a) on the pensions tracking application form telephone number 0845 6002 537 and  (b) in total in each month since the service has been offered.

James Purnell: The Pension Tracing Service doesnot collect statistics on the number of pensiontracing application forms that are requested from the telephone number 0845 6002 537 or issued via other methods of distribution.

Pensions: Forecasts

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many state pension forecasts were calculated through submission of the (BR19) form to the retirement pension forecasting team at the Pensions Service in each month since the service has been provided.

James Purnell: The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number of  s tate  p ension forecasts calculated via submission of BR19 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 April — 30,822 15,350 
			 May — 18,066 16,200 
			 June — 15,880 15,719 
			 July — 12,63 12,539 
			 August — 16,538 13,309 
			 September — 12,529 14,579 
			 October — 16,886 17,325 
			 November 23,421 15,260 18,070 
			 December 29,030 11,831 10,284 
			 January 9,585 16,957 17,842 
			 February 7,874 11,146 21,572 
			 March 11,285 11,146 20,878 
			 Total 81,195 189,624 193,667 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of state pension forecasts calculated via submission of BR19 and telephone requests 
			   1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000 
			 April 45,569 55,571 48,800 41,328 
			 May 52,173 47,311 50,396 40,064 
			 June 48,188 54,753 51,658 35,565 
			 July 51,736 44,813 11,595 51,568 
			 August 38,221 34,983 48,586 42,874 
			 September 40,989 51,053 56,056 48,320 
			 October 51,344 53,914 38,438 47,384 
			 November 45,359 45185 40,888 53,025 
			 December 39,873 31,462 35,458 30,260 
			 January 55,438 51,244 29,323 39,696 
			 February 49,082 44,249 36,998 44,330 
			 March 56,845 48,004 70,01 52,721 
			 Total 574,817 562,542 518,897 527,135 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of  s tate  p ension forecasts calculated via submission of BR19 and telephone requests 
			   2001-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 April 35,355 57,564 101,953 67,325 154,630 
			 May 53,563 54,310 57,638 61,364 85,461 
			 June 60,287 64,505 64,291 89,327 117,176 
			 July 61,090 54,151 64,805 104,367 105,020 
			 August 49,422 80,297 54,155 61,885 152,618 
			 September 55,078 70,156 85,784 66,210 136,191 
			 October 50,921 84,237 58,371 66,599 106,945 
			 November 46,438 46,719 62,016 57,498 — 
			 December 50,522 23,721 47,562 55,817 — 
			 January 61,855 33,757 43,266 89,791 — 
			 February 40,807 60,572 54,804 72,791 — 
			 March 28,519 31,377 44,610 124,079 — 
			 Total 593,857 661,366 739,255 917,053 — 
			  Notes: 1. Requests for forecasts received clerically or via the telephone were not kept separately until November 2005. 2. Clerical clearance figures were not complete for February and March 2006 therefore figures that were available were divided equally between both months.  Source:  Future Pension Centre Automated Call Distribution and Clerical Count of BR19s.

Pensions: Forecasts

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many state pension forecast forms were downloaded in each month since the service has been provided.

James Purnell: The state pension forecast application form has been available to download since the late 1990s, however statistical data are only available from July 2003 (shown in the following table). Some months are unavailable because of technical problems The available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Number of state pension forecast forms downloaded each month 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 April — — 9,354 8,681 9,985 
			 May — 8,189 8,709 9,469 — 
			 June — 13,228 11,260 5,379 — 
			 July 10,630 14,212 10,972 7,835 — 
			 August 8,426 12,987 12,777 9,100 — 
			 September — 14,695 14,283 10,417 — 
			 October — 16,695 14,638 10,802 — 
			 November — 10,220 10,710 9,732 — 
			 December — 7,424 5,997 7,392 — 
			 January 13,543 12,202 10,918 12,927 — 
			 February 13,464 12,979 11,030 11,946 — 
			 March 13,804 11,575 12,903 11,835 — 
			  Source: Monthly Webtrends Report

Pensions: Forecasts

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many state pension forecasts were calculated on the forecasting e-service based on the Pensions Service website in each month since the service has been provided.

James Purnell: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  State pension forecasts calculated by the e-service based on the Pension Service website 
			   Forecasts calculated 
			  2004  
			 October 343 
			 November 3,936 
			 December 2,912 
			   
			  2005  
			 January 9,357 
			 February 8,019 
			 March 4,401 
			 April 5,841 
			 May 4,658 
			 June 4,356 
			 July 3,748 
			 August 4,221 
			 September 4,807 
			 October 7,110 
			 November 8,770 
			 December 5,452 
			   
			  2006  
			 January 9,822 
			 February 8,524 
			 March 10,794 
			 April 10,468 
			 May 9,120 
			 June 7,697 
			 July 6,768 
			 August 6,337 
			 September 8,113 
			 October 11,071 
			 November 10,960 
			 December 6,899 
			   
			  2007  
			 January 13,536 
			 February 13,614 
			 March 11,568 
			  Source: Figures supplied by Electronic Data Systems, the Department's IT supplier.

Pensions: Forecasts

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many requests of information or assistance with regard to state pension forecastshave been received on the pensions service helpdesk telephone number 0845 601 8040.

James Purnell: The number 0845 601 8040 is the e-service helpdesk telephone number. The total number of telephone calls made to the helpdesk since real time pension forecasting was introduced in October 2004 up to the end of March 2007 was 78,716.

Pensions: Forecasts

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many state pension forecasts were calculated over the telephone on numbers 0845 3000 168 and 0845 3000 169 in each month since the service has been provided.

James Purnell: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of state pension forecasts calculated over the telephone on numbers 0845 3000 168 and 0845 3000 169 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 April — 48,132 47,977 
			 May — 39,753 51,549 
			 June — 33,912 43,432 
			 July — 32,390 39,055 
			 August — 33,112 40,702 
			 September — 43,749 44,132 
			 October — 50,852 53,281 
			 November 87,888 56,230 50,390 
			 December 50,599 37,148 30,647 
			 January 79,461 46,575 53,506 
			 February 67,412 48,735 49,290 
			 March 66,921 66,284 41,998 
			  Source: Future Pension Centre Automated Call Distribution.

Scheme Assets Review Team

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which key stakeholders the unclaimed scheme assets review team  (a) has met and  (b) plans to meet.

James Purnell: The Financial Assistance Scheme Review of Scheme Assets team has already metsome key stakeholders including, Ros Altmann, trade unions, opposition spokesmen and an additional number of interested MPs. The team will be contacting others shortly to tell them about the review and to invite their contributions.
	The team has further plans to meet representatives from financial bodies and institutions as well as the Pension Protection Fund and the Pensions Regulator. However, this list is not exhaustive and the team intend to meet with as many stakeholders as possible in the time available.

Scheme Assets Review Team

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria were used in the selection of the team which will review the possibility of using unclaimed assets and other potential funding sources.

James Purnell: The review will focus on whether better use could be made of the remaining assets within the failed pension schemes that have qualified for FAS. The review will also determine how these and other sources of non-public expenditure funding (not already earmarked or allocated) could be used to increase assistance for affected scheme members. This task presents a number of complex issues across a wide range of subject areas including, but not limited to legal, investment, actuarial and administration issues.
	The make-up of the team reflects the range of expertise required to meet the objectives set out in the terms of reference. In selecting the individuals to be approached, the Department's internal experts and a number of external industry experts were consulted. The goal was to ensure the review had direct accessto a leading source of advice in each key area, andthat individuals with status in the industry, an understanding of the issues, and an interest in finding a solution were involved. None of the individuals approached to participate in the review declined.

10 Downing Street: Educational Visits

Ben Wallace: To ask the Prime Minister why school visits to Downing Street are to be limited to Fridays only.

Tony Blair: In the past few years, my Office has increased the programme of events at Downing street in order to give access to as many people as possible.

Committee on Standards in Public Life: Public Appointments

Theresa May: To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to appoint a permanent chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

Tony Blair: I announced on 24 April 2007,  Official Report, column 22WS, that Rita Donaghy CBE would become the Interim Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) from 26 April 2007. The Government are currently considering the report of the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) "Ethics and Standards: The Regulation of Conduct in Public Life" which was published on 29 April 2007 and which covers the work of not only the CSPL, but other ethical regulators.The Government will set out a timetable for the appointment of a permanent Chair in its response to the PASC report.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Francois: To ask the Prime Minister what the cost was to the public purse of his flight from London to Sedgefield on 10th May.

Tony Blair: None. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells (Greg Clark), on 24 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1523W.

Departments: Buildings

Grant Shapps: To ask the Prime Minister what the cost of leasing buildings and office space was for his Office in each of the last five years.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my righthon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office(Hilary Armstrong) on 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 45W.

Departments: McKinsey and Company

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister what the  (a) role and  (b) cost has been of each employee from McKinsey hired to work for him in the last 12 months.

Tony Blair: There have been no secondments from McKinsey to my Office in the last12 months.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Prime Minister what recent estimate has been made of the value of the property occupied by his Office.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my righthon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office(Hilary Armstrong) on 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 45W.

Departments: Public Relations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Prime Minister how much was spent by his Office on public relations in each of the last five years.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my righthon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office(Hilary Armstrong) on 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 45W.

Privy Council: Oaths and Affirmations

John Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister what legal obligations there are for members of the Privy Council to adhere to the terms of their oath of membership; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: Privy Counsellors are duty bound to honour the Privy Council oath just as they are bound to honour the oath of allegiance that they also take on becoming members of the Privy Council.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent estimate has been made of the value of his Department's property portfolio.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office own Gwydyr house in Whitehall, which has a book value of £2,100,000. We do not own any other property.

Sports

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent meeting he has had with the management of the Skillsactive Wales Learning Hub on participation in sport in Wales.

Peter Hain: None.

Bookstart Scheme

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment has been made of the economic and social background of those families who have collected Bookstart books and packs.

Beverley Hughes: Booktrust tell me that their annual audit indicated that, in the financial year 2006-07, Bookstart packs were received in England by approximately 88 per cent. of eligible children, (87 per cent. for the baby pack, 85 per cent. for Bookstart Plus and 93 per cent. for My Treasure Chest).
	Since its inception the Bookstart programme has been delivered in partnership with Sure Start local programmes which were located in areas with high numbers of disadvantaged families. This link has been maintained as Sure Start Children's Centres have been created, many of them based around the local programmes, initially serving families living in the most disadvantaged areas. By 2010 we aim to deliver 3,500 children's centres, one for every community, giving many more families with young children access. This, together with the wide reach of contact points for pack delivery, has helped to ensure that the packs are received by a diverse range of families, including those from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. Bookstart makes special efforts to ensure that its local schemes work proactively to facilitate delivery of book packs to "hard to reach" groups. Local scheme performanceon accessing "hard to reach" groups is evaluated periodically and best practice is shared and its adoption encouraged.

Bookstart Scheme

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment has been made of the impact of the Bookstart scheme on improving reading standards.

Beverley Hughes: The Bookstart scheme aims to encourage a love of books by children in their earliest years, and helps to support the development of early communication and language skills in young children. A number of studies have assessed the impact of the Bookstart programme on reading standards. Among these, Wade and Moore's longitudinal study in Birmingham in 2000 offers the most comprehensive examination of the immediate and long-term impact of the programme. The study compared a cohort of Bookstart children who received the book pack at nine months against a control group who did not receive a pack. The children's performance on a range of literacy and reading measures was evaluated at intervals from the age of two-and-a-half to three years up to the end of Key Stage 1 in primary schools. Observations of book sharing in the home at the initial evaluation demonstrated that Bookstart children concentrated more and showed more interest in books, pointed to text more and tried to turn pages more than did the comparison group. The second evaluation stage, using Baseline Assessment of children in their reception year, demonstrated significantly improved performance on reading scores for Bookstart children. The final evaluation used the SATS tests at the end of Key Stage 1. Results for each group showed that Bookstart children were on average between 20 to30 per cent. superior in their 'reading task' and 'reading comprehension' scores.
	A copy of the research study, "A Sure Start with Books", by Barrie Wade and Maggie Moore, has been placed in the House Libraries.

Child Minding: EC Law

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment hehas made of the effect of European Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 of levels of unemployment among childminders;
	(2)  what inspections of childminders under European Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 have taken place.

Caroline Flint: holding answer s  14 May 2007
	I have been asked to reply.
	A Regulatory Impact Assessment in respect of Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 was produced and refined at various stages during development of the regulation. This assessed its impact in terms of costs, benefits and risks which could affect businesses, charities or the voluntary sector. No specific assessment has been made of the impact on levels of unemployment among child minders.
	The enforcement of food law in the United Kingdom is delegated primarily to local authorities which carry out inspections of food businesses within their area of jurisdiction.
	The Food Standards Agency does collect information on local authority enforcement activity, but not at a level of detail sufficient to allow individual food business types such as child minders to be identified. The information requested could be obtained only from individual local authorities and, therefore, can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Children in Care

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the proposed time scale is for the publication of the White Paper following the Green Paper Care Matters: Transforming the Lives of Children and Young People in Care.

Parmjit Dhanda: As the Secretary of State announced when he launched the consultation responses to the Green Paper, the Care Matters White Paper will be published in the summer.

Children: Day Care

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of eligible parents took up their full entitlement to child care support in 2006-07.

Beverley Hughes: Information is not available in the form requested. Data on eligibility and take up of free or subsidised child care overall are not available centrally.
	The 2006 Early Years and Annual Schools Censuses show the number of part time early education places funded by the free entitlement for three and four-year-olds in England was 1,029,700(1) or 92 per 100 three and four-year-old children. Figures for January 2006 show that 96 per cent. of three-year-olds and all four-year-old children benefit from some free early years education.
	Child care used by parents can be subsidised in a variety of ways, including the childcare element of the working tax credit, local authority subsidies, Jobcentre Plus new deals, care to learn, learner support funds and NHS child care allowances.
	(1) The number of children benefiting from some form of free early education can exceed the number of free part-time early education places taken up by children as a place may be taken up by more than one child.

Children: Day Care

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he plans to take to inform parents of the Voluntary Ofsted Childcare Register introduced from April this year.

Beverley Hughes: The Department is planning a range of communication activities to support the introduction of the voluntary part of the Ofsted Childcare Register (vOCR) from the summer onwards. This will include online advice and information aimed at raising awareness, and helping parents and child care providers understand the requirements and benefits of registration. Ofsted's leaflet for parents on using child care services now includes information on the vOCR, the text of which is on its website.

Every Child Counts Initiative

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what progress has been made in achieving the Government's aim of providing one-to-one tuition for 300,000 under-attaining pupils a year in mathematics as announced in the Budget 2007;
	(2)  what the  (a) value and  (b) recipient is of each payment to external consultancies as part of developing and implementing the Every Child Counts initiative;
	(3)  how many staff in his Department are working on the Every Child Counts initiative, broken down by pay band;
	(4)  how many schools have been consulted on the Every Child Counts initiative;
	(5)  what estimate he has made of the cost of providing guidance to schools on the Every Child Counts initiative;
	(6)  how much was allocated to provide 300,000 pupils with one-to-one tuition in  (a) English and  (b) mathematics by 2010-11, broken down by financial year, as announced in his Department's Comprehensive Spending Review Settlement on 21 March 2007.

Jim Knight: The Department is planning two separate, but related one-to-one tuition programmes, which will raise standards in maths:
	one-to-one tuition to help 300,000 children who have fallen behind in English and mathematics by 2010-11. Such support is being trialled in the 'Making Good Progress' pilot; and
	a more intensive initiative specifically designed for early intervention in mathematics; a counterpart to the 'Every Child a Reader' literacy programme, on which we are already committed to nationwide roll-out.
	The Treasury allocates resources to Departments on a three-year cycle through spending reviews. DfES received the settlement for 2008-09 to 2010-11 in the 2007 Budget. We are now thoroughly evaluating the financial implications and are working to allocate funding as effectively as possible. Detailed allocations have not yet been announced but we will ensure allocations are announced as soon as possible.
	We are currently in the process of planning the scope, resources and roll out of the early intervention programme and analysing which areas of maths require most support. Given the very early stage we are at, no consultants or schools have been consulted in the development of the initial plans. One member of staff (a senior executive officer) is currently leading the development of the programme with the support of colleagues and senior management. We will consult the maths community as we develop our plans and make a more detailed announcement in due course. Delivery is expected to begin during 2008.

Extended Schools: Finance

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what allocation has been made to each local education authority in England for extended school provision in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08;
	(2)  what the projected expenditure per head is on extended schools in the secondary sector in each local education authority for 2007-08;
	(3)  what the allocation to each secondary school in London was for extended schools development in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08;
	(4)  what percentage of government allocation for extended schools was withheld for central administration and support in each London local education authority in 2006-07;
	(5)  what guidance he has issued on charging policies for  (a) extended schools and  (b) other out-of-school facilities; and what specific arrangements are in place for schools serving populations with high levels of deprivation.

Beverley Hughes: The Government have allocated a total of £384 million to local authorities in England over the period 2006-08 to support the development and provision of extended schools. These allocations are set out in the annex.
	The Department for Education and Skills does not hold information on how much funding each London secondary school was allocated, their projected expenditure per head or what percentage of government allocation was withheld for central administration and support in each London local authority, and the information requested can be supplied only at disproportionate cost. The Department for Education and Skills encourages all local authorities to devolve their extended schools funding to their schools. This should be done in line with their plan for rolling out extended schools which they will have drawn up in discussion with all schools in their area.
	The Department for Education and Skills issued guidance about planning and funding extended schools in June 2006. The guidance provides information on charging for extended activities for those who can afford it, and recognises that children and young people from low income families will benefit from free access to some extended school activities. To ensure this since 2006-07 schools have been able to use their School Standards Grant to support the development and delivery of extended services including supporting access for their most disadvantaged children and young people to extended activities. By 2010-11 an additional £217 million will be invested so that disadvantaged children and young people will be able to access at least two hours a week of extended activities and some activities during the school holidays.
	
		
			  Annex 
			   Total funding 
			  LA  2006/07  2007/08 
			 Barking and Dagenham 737,345 951,069 
			 Barnet 964,178 1,196,661 
			 Barnsley 814,149 1,020,410 
			 Bath and NE Somerset 734,038 818,657 
			 Bedfordshire 1,118,420 1,424,510 
			 Bexley 788,035 906,694 
			 Birmingham 3,577,705 5,121,810 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 654,042 838,659 
			 Blackpool 563,887 697,065 
			 Bolton 950,348 1,162,847 
			 Bournemouth 662,836 725,805 
			 Bracknell Forest 575,002 616,252 
			 Bradford 1,789,116 2,385,752 
			 Brent 893,125 1,178,651 
			 Brighton and Hove 837,951 992,089 
			 Bromley 1,126,564 1,439,831 
			 Buckinghamshire 1,055,645 1,220,805 
			 Bury 1,424,580 1,688,227 
			 Calderdale 748,118 856,514 
			 Cambridgeshire 891,595 1,072,837 
			 Camden 1,795,249 2,231,655 
			 Cheshire 579,459 795,505 
			 City of Bristol 2,042,456 2,530,196 
			 City of London 50,000 50,000 
			 Cornwall 1,557,683 2,064,350 
			 Coventry 1,058,563 1,327,700 
			 Croydon 1,124,215 1,412,070 
			 Cumbria 1,655,847 2,278,173 
			 Darlington 524,659 620,343 
			 Derby 868,604 1,071,685 
			 Derbyshire 2,294,745 2,900,076 
			 Devon 2,229,739 2,964,951 
			 Doncaster 1,051,723 1,364,328 
			 Dorset 1,239,838 1,531,576 
			 Dudley 1,193,867 1,408,935 
			 Durham 1,674,463 2,239,225 
			 Ealing 968,909 1,273,348 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 1,094,792 1,424,486 
			 East Sussex 1,498,094 1,830,136 
			 Enfield 1,040,550 1,346,451 
			 Essex 3,797,326 4,667,039 
			 Gateshead 702,247 888,295 
			 Gloucestershire 1,697,428 2,118,412 
			 Greenwich 852,563 1,174,571 
			 Hackney 729,689 1,012,630 
			 Halton 536,088 677,714 
			 Hammersmith 490,653 673,270 
			 Hampshire 3,414,149 4,116,348 
			 Haringey 857,888 1,194,133 
			 Harrow 816,945 951,329 
			 Hartlepool 462,891 569,451 
			 Havering 794,191 910,709 
			 Herefordshire 650,074 859,576 
			 Hertfordshire 3,204,991 3,774,002 
			 Hillingdon 888,381 1,084,794 
			 Hounslow 772,498 978,727 
			 Isle of Wight 555,149 678,230 
			 Isles of Scilly 150,000 150,000 
			 Islington 662,536 925,628 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 387,224 494,535 
			 Kent 3,995,795 4,967,897 
			 Kingston upon Thames 939,885 1,218,110 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull 646,577 697,885 
			 Kirklees 1,372,545 1,738,546 
			 Knowsley 724,828 993,519 
			 Lambeth 790,026 1,089,192 
			 Lancashire 3,531,061 4,515,291 
			 Leeds 2,144,841 2,761,511 
			 Leicester 1,079,113 1,407,637 
			 Leicestershire 1,980,150 2,343,795 
			 Lewisham 861,330 1,139,319 
			 Lincolnshire 2,112,980 2,766,561 
			 Liverpool 1,527,307 2,164,824 
			 Luton 758,724 959,640 
			 Manchester 1,635,156 2,421,213 
			 Medway Towns 917,640 1,088,495 
			 Merton 663,578 760,966 
			 Middlesbrough 590,771 756,402 
			 Milton Keynes 806,933 960,351 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 868,780 1,173,788 
			 Newham 1,206,549 1,732,501 
			 Norfolk 2,448,290 3,283,723 
			 North East Lincolnshire 779,234 944,604 
			 North Lincolnshire 623,788 787,818 
			 North Somerset 648,309 772,058 
			 North Tyneside 693,010 847,350 
			 North Yorkshire 2,021,908 2,738,473 
			 Northamptonshire 2,053,639 2,549,150 
			 Northumberland 1,084,773 1,456,415 
			 Nottingham City 956,347 1,290,071 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,434,868 3,018,607 
			 Oldham 915,033 1,168,151 
			 Oxfordshire 1,657,520 2,057,992 
			 Peterborough 669,867 834,687 
			 Plymouth 953,563 1,128,931 
			 Poole 635,125 667,190 
			 Portsmouth 638,630 763,314 
			 Reading 459,842 535,722 
			 Redbridge 916,124 1,099,720 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 601,252 773,435 
			 Richmond upon Thames 682,745 752,169 
			 Rochdale 836,108 1,076,381 
			 Rotherham 971,182 1,212,822 
			 Rutland 398,086 434,511 
			 Salford 845,056 1,106,226 
			 Sandwell 1,127,731 1,455,553 
			 Sefton 959,510 1,184,746 
			 Sheffield 1,555,418 1,977,005 
			 Shropshire 946,177 1,253,388 
			 Slough 491,383 585,843 
			 Solihull 803,339 942,727 
			 Somerset 1,495,918 1,932,778 
			 South Gloucestershire 1,026,755 1,160,142 
			 South Tyneside 603,531 775,162 
			 Southampton 795,995 952,952 
			 Southend-on-Sea 716,094 827,087 
			 Southwark 931,518 1,296,140 
			 St. Helens 681,143 838,880 
			 Staffordshire 2,537,634 3,121,417 
			 Stockport 908,857 1,056,525 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 723,166 900,828 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 862,786 1,125,827 
			 Suffolk 2,037,125 2,665,837 
			 Sunderland 993,968 1,250,885 
			 Surrey 2,732,066 3,142,681 
			 Sutton 789,036 881,497 
			 Swindon 697,933 815,212 
			 Tameside 821,066 1,006,162 
			 Telford and Wrekin 774,994 937,800 
			 Thurrock 577,380 678,537 
			 Torbay 583,668 676,349 
			 Tower Hamlets 993,708 1,554,467 
			 Trafford 886,097 1,012,145 
			 Wakefield 1,203,051 1,453,835 
			 Walsall 993,804 1,221,933 
			 Waltham Forest 808,949 1,063,201 
			 Wandsworth 705,640 927,109 
			 Warrington 870,072 967,729 
			 Warwickshire 1,687,088 2,052,631 
			 West Berkshire 731,194 845,252 
			 West Sussex 2,146,316 2,489,787 
			 Westminster 537,907 736,506 
			 Wigan 1,064,623 1,286,810 
			 Wiltshire 1,557,099 1,959,285 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 604,940 660,990 
			 Wirral 1,141,393 1,529,894 
			 Wokingham 699,731 752,602 
			 Wolverhampton 895,516 1,138,045 
			 Worcestershire 1,658,211 2,002,709 
			 York 747,225 835,751

Nannies: Vetting

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that any person named on the List 99, Protection of Children Act list, the Protection of Vulnerable Adults list and the disqualification disorders regime is barred from  (a) working as a nanny and  (b) working in a nursery;
	(2)  if he will take steps to ensure that the same pre-employment vetting and checks are applied to nannies as to other child care workers;
	(3)  for what reasons a person does not have to undergo a Criminal Records Bureau check before taking up employment to work as a nanny;
	(4)  what communications campaign he has planned to advise parents of the vetting procedures and checks before a nanny commences employment; and what funds his Department is making available for this campaign;
	(5)  when he expects the planned communications campaign to advise parents of their responsibility for ensuring their children are safe while in the care of those they employ to look after them to begin.

Parmjit Dhanda: Under the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 it is an offence for an individual disqualified from working with children, by means of listing upon the Protection of Children Act (PoCA) List or List 99, to work in a regulated child care position. A regulated child care position would include an individual working as a nanny.
	The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act which will be implemented from autumn 2008 provides the legislative framework to introduce a single list of those barred from working with children. This will replace List 99, the PoCA list, and the disqualification orders regime thus providing a more integrated system for vetting and barring. Individuals who are barred under the children's list will commit an offence if they seek to work as a nanny or in child care.
	Those who employ an individual in a child care setting, such as a nursery, will commit an offence if they fail to check that their employee or a volunteer they use is a member of the vetting and barring scheme. An individual will need to become a member of the vetting and barring scheme before they seek work in a nursery.
	While the SVG Act enables those employing people to work with children or vulnerable adults in domestic arrangements (e.g. nannies and care workers) to check the individual's status in the scheme, it does not place a 'requirement' to check status in the scheme on parents using a nanny. Nor does it require nannies to become members of the new scheme. We believe it would not be appropriate or proportionate to regulate family life in this way and that parents are best placed to determine the suitability of nannies that they are employing to work in their own home. We believe a sustained communications campaign to parents is preferable to a requirement, clearly explaining to parents their responsibility for ensuring their children are safe when they employ people to work with them, and setting out how the scheme can help them with this. It is likely that it will become desirable for those who work as nannies to become members of the scheme so that they may offer that reassurance to parents.
	The Government have begun an extensive programme of communications, planned to culminate in summer to autumn 2008 with a campaign to ensure that all those subject to the requirements of the new vetting and barring scheme are aware of their responsibilities. There are many groups, organisations and individuals who need to know about the new scheme, so a range of ways of communicating nationally, regionally and locally will be used. Just one part of this task will be to work with parents groups, organisations involved in providing child care, child care professionals and others to raise parents' awareness of the opportunities afforded by the scheme. Further information on the scheme and details of a programme of information sessions already running across the country can be found at:
	www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/vettingandbarring/

Pupils: Eating Disorders

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the impact of eating disorders on the academic achievement of children with such disorders.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 24 May 2007
	The Department for Education and Skills has not made a specific assessment of the impact of eating disorders on the academic achievement of children with such disorders.
	Research shows that self-esteem and self-confidence impact on attainment. The 2001 DfES guidance, "Promoting Children's Mental Health within Early Years and Schools Settings" emphasises the important role that schools can play in helping young people to develop confidence and self-esteem, manage the way in which they think about themselves, and thus contribute to ensuring they eat properly.
	The promotion of physical health and emotional well-being already forms part of many DfES policies including the Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) curriculum, the National Healthy Schools Programme, the Improving Behaviour and Attendance Programme, and the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) curriculum materials. Schools tellus that such programmes have brought sustained improvement in behaviour and standards of work.

School Meals: Take-up

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures he plans to take in response to trends in secondary school meal take-up following the introduction of new standards for school food.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Secretary of State has asked the School Food Trust, a non-departmental public body established by the DfES as its key delivery partner for school food, to develop a strategy to increase demand for school lunches by at least four percentage points by March 2008 and 10 percentage points by autumn 2009. These targets apply across the maintained sector.
	The trust is taking forward a range of measures to help improve take up. Examples include publication early in June of guidance to help schools improve the lunchtime experience. The guide provides recommendations and "top tips" on providing a positive meal experience for children, young people and schools. The trust has also published guidance to schools and parents on the new standards for school food and has good practice case studies on its website.

Community Justice Centres: Public Appointments

Graham Allen: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice pursuant to her letter of 20 April 2007 to the hon. Member for Nottingham North, what discussions her officials have had with senior judiciary on how the community might be involved in the deployment of judges and magistrates to the new community justice initiatives; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: It is important for the community to be involved in all aspects of community justice. Judicial deployment is the responsibility of the judiciary under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. For magistrates, local people are involved in the advisory committees that make recommendations on appointments. For district judges, the final decision is taken by the judiciary after the district judge has met the community and has reported with the senior local official for the initiative to the presiding judges on whether the scheme will be workable. The district judge in Nottingham will be announced shortly.

Community Service Orders

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of community sentences being used in place of custodial sentences of less than 12 months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Re-offending rates for custodial and community sentences are published in "Re-offending of Adults: Results from the 2004 Cohort" (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 06/07). Figure 10 in this report suggests that Community Punishment Orders and Community Punishment and Rehabilitation Orders may be more effective than prison sentences in reducing re-offending. Proven re-offending rates for all community sentences have been steadily improving since 2000 and now stand at 51 per cent. This compares with proven re-offending rates of over 70 per cent. for those given short custodial sentences although this difference can be partially explained by differences in offender characteristics. However, a limited range of offender characteristics only are currently accounted for in the figures used. Further evidence that will explicitly investigate the effectiveness of sentencing will be provided by our current research programme. This includes a major study of sentencing that will provide more information about the relative effectiveness of sentencing than currently available from central statistics and re-conviction studies.

Community Service Orders

Annette Brooke: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what plans there are for multi-agency public protection arrangements to  (a) promote public awareness and  (b) provide access to advice for the public about the management of offenders in the community.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In May 2006, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) issued a national multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) communications strategy to each of the 42 MAPPA strategic management boards in England and Wales. The aim of the strategy, and accompanying toolkit, is to support MAPPA leads to promote MAPPA's work locally, including with the general public. In addition, the national MAPPA guidance is being revised and re-issued this year, and a new public information leaflet will accompany it. Finally, the Home Secretary last year commissioned a review into existing arrangements for managing child sex offenders in the community which looked at, among other things, how the arrangements might be strengthened and how information might be better shared with the public. The review is due to be published shortly.

Departments: Data Protection

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many times her Department and its predecessor was found to have been in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: The definition of "found to have been in breach" can be broad. Depending on their nature, breaches by my Department of the Data Protection Act 1998 can be dealt with by the Information Commissioner, the courts or by my Department at an informal local level. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Dovegate Prison

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the cost was to Her Majesty's Prison Service of the deployment of staff to HM Prison Dovegate from other establishments during the disturbance on 2 February.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There is no record of an incident occurring at Dovegate prison on 2 February. There is a record of a concerted indiscipline there on 29 January.
	The approximate cost of staff salaries in deploying staff from other prisons to that incident is £18,405.60. This is based upon figures set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Column A  Column B  Column C  Column D  Column E 
			  Prison establishment  Tornado Unit  Number of staff  Salary cost per member of staff per hour (£)  Salary cost per Tornado Unit per hour(£)  Salary cost of listed Tornado Unit staff (column D x 8 hours)  (£) 
			 Leicester 15 15.38 230.07 1,840.56 
			 Blakenhurst 15 15.38 230.07 1,840.56 
			 Stoke Heath 15 15.38 230.07 1,840.56 
			 Lowdham Grange 15 15.38 230.07 1,840.56 
			 Whatton 15 15.38 230.07 1,840.56 
			 Swinfen Hall 15 15.38 230.07 1,840.56 
			 Stafford 15 15.38 230.07 1,840.56 
			 Nottingham 15 15.38 230.07 1,840.56 
			 Birmingham 15 15.38 230.07 1,840.56 
			 Gartree 15 15.38 230.07 1,840.56 
			 Totals 150 153.80 2,300.70 18,405.60 
			  Notes: 1. Column B is based upon the number of staff per Tornado Unit (12 plus 2 unit commanders plus 1 driver). 2. Column C is the Tornado call out additional allowance ( salary gross per hour) made to each member of staff. It does not take into account any extra salary related costs such as superannuation (although such payments are not pensionable) and costs such as travel costs to and from home to the parent establishment for which staff may claim re-imbursement, and subsistence payments. 3. Column E is based upon a 6 hour incident duration at Dovegate plus two hours average travelling time—8 hours. The actual time on and off duty for staff will depend upon travelling distance from the parent prison establishment. 4. The figures quoted only account for the costs of establishment based staff, they do not account for costs incurred by the deployment of other national resources that are not establishment based, or the costs incurred by opening the Gold Command suite.

Dovegate Prison

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice whether an enquiry has taken place following Serco's deployment of staff to HM Prison Dovegate from their other establishments as a result of the disturbance on 2 February.

Gerry Sutcliffe: An incident of concerted indiscipline took place at HMP Dovegate on 29 January 2007 and not 2 February 2007 as indicated. In accordance with national arrangements for mutual aid, control and restraint teams from 10 establishments were sent to HMP Dovegate. One of these teams was from HMP Lowdham Grange, a Serco managed establishment.
	The regional offender manager for the West Midlands commissioned an investigation into the incident and this was undertaken by the contract director from HMP Kilmarnock. The investigation report was received and accepted by the regional offender manager. Recommendations arising from the report have been enacted.

Driving Offences

Owen Paterson: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  how many drivers are banned from driving as a result of the totting-up procedure;
	(2)  what her estimate is of the number of drivers who will be banned from driving under the totting-up procedure in the 2007 calendar year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Available information taken from the 2003 and 2004 (latest available) Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform shows that, as a result of 'totting-up' of points under section 35 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, there were 33,286 and 30,934 disqualifications respectively in England and Wales.
	2005 data will be available later this year; 2006 will be available in 2008 and 2007 will be available in 2009.

Driving Offences

Owen Paterson: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what factors may be taken into account when assessing pleas of exceptional hardship entered by drivers seeking to avoid disqualification from driving under the totting-up procedure.

Gerry Sutcliffe: When a driver faces disqualification under the totting up procedure, the court has very little discretion other than to disqualify, unless they are satisfied that to do so would cause 'exceptional hardship'.
	Whether exceptional hardship would be caused is a matter for the court to decide in each individual case.
	The Sentencing Guidelines Council is responsible for magistrates' sentencing guidelines on this issue, and the decisions of the Court of Appeal in any relevant cases will impact on any decisions made.

Driving Offences

Owen Paterson: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice whether  (a) changes have been made in the last five years to the criteria by which magistrates are required to interpret pleas of exceptional hardship entered by drivers seeking to avoid disqualification from driving under the totting-up procedure and  (b) any such changes are proposed in the next six months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Sentencing Guidelines Council are responsible for magistrates' sentencing guidelines, provided by Court of Appeal judgements.
	The Sentencing Guidelines Council is an independent body that was established by the Criminal Justice Act 2003. All courts are required to take the guidelines into account when sentencing all offenders, with the aim of promoting greater consistency in sentencing. In every individual case, the judge or magistrate will continue to make their own decision on the type and length of sentence, but will be required to operate within the Council's guidelines or give reasons for departing from them in a particular case.
	The Sentencing Advisory Panel recently carried out a consultation exercise on magistrates sentencing guidelines and responses will be considered in determining the final guidelines.

Driving Offences

Owen Paterson: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what consideration magistrates are permitted to give to the cost of local public transport when considering pleas of exceptional hardship entered by drivers seeking to avoid disqualification from driving under the totting-up procedure.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The court has very little discretion other than to disqualify under the totting up procedure, unless they are satisfied that to do so would cause 'exceptional hardship'.
	Exceptional hardship is determined by the court under guidelines listed by the Sentencing Guidelines Council. A whole range of circumstances may affect any court decision. The cost of public transport is not listed as a specific factor for consideration though an individual judge may take account of this.

Driving Offences

Owen Paterson: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice if she will commission research into the equity of driving bans, with particular reference to the financial effect of bans given the disparate cost of public transport in different areas.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There are no plans to commission research into this issue at this time. It would be for the Sentencing Guidelines Council to potentially consider this issue at a future date.

Driving Offences: Foreigners

Owen Paterson: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many  (a) UK licence holders and  (b) foreign licence holders were (i) prosecuted, (ii) convicted, (iii) banned from driving and (iv) imprisoned for offences relating to (A) fatal road traffic accidents, (B) serious road traffic accidents and (C) minor road traffic accidents in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: While the Department for Transport monitors details of road traffic accidents, this information is not linked with details of any subsequent prosecutions.
	Information collected on the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of prosecutions, convictions, custodial sentences and disqualifications for 'accident' offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 section 170 (4) and (7) does not distinguish between those offences which resulted in injury from those which resulted in damage or both. Neither does the data identify UK/non-UK licence holders in breach of driving licence regulations.

Electronic Tagging: Suffolk

Richard Spring: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many offenders were electronically tagged in Suffolk in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: According to data submitted by the electronic monitoring supplier Serco, the number of people subject to electronic monitoring in the criminal justice area of Suffolk during the financial years 2005-06 and 2006-07 is provided in the table.
	The same data for previous periods is not available centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Total electronically-monitored subjects in Suffolk criminal justice area 
			  Financial year  Number 
			 2005-06 578 
			 2006-07 751

Feltham Young Offender Institution and Remand Centre

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  on how many occasions HM Prison Service has been required to commission an investigation into the conduct of Governor Andrew Cross of HM Young Offenders' Institution Feltham; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour by the Governor of HM Youth Offender Institute Feltham have concluded; if she will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It is not prison service policy to comment on personnel issues relating to individual members of staff. However, exceptionally, the Governor of Feltham has requested that it is made clear that he has never been the subject of a disciplinary investigation. There has been a completed simple inquiry into a grievance made against him.

Feltham Young Offender Institution and Remand Centre

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  how many  (a) violent racist and  (b) violent incidents took place at HM Young Offenders Institution Feltham in each year since 2000; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many racist incidents were recorded at HM Young Offender Institution Feltham in each year since 2000; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Since the murder of Zahid Mubarek in March 2000 there have been no violent racist incidents at Feltham Young Offender Institution. The number of racist incidents recorded at Feltham since 2000 are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2000 134 
			 2001 330 
			 2002 340 
			 2003 490 
			 2004 579 
			 2005 475 
			 2006 521 
		
	
	The rise in reported racist incidents since 2000 is not due to increased racist activity but a more robust reporting system.
	Violent incidents are not recorded separately. However, the number of proven adjudications for fights and assaults are as follows:
	
		
			   Fights  Assaults 
			 2000 564 306 
			 2001 456 250 
			 2002 511 204 
			 2003 611 202 
			 2004 493 217 
			 2005 430 178 
			 2006 376 201 
			 2007 (as at 1 June) 138 62

Feltham Young Offender Institution and Remand Centre

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  for what reason film footage of HM Youth Offender Institute Feltham was not checked prior to broadcast to identify potential security risks; who approved the film footage for broadcast; what disciplinary action has been taken; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what the total cost was of  (a) the re-lock exercise at HM Youth Offender Institute Feltham and  (b) the consequent legal proceedings; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: This matter is the subject of ongoing legal action and it would therefore not be appropriate to comment.

Fixed Penalties: Foreigners

James Brokenshire: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many  (a) penalty notices for disorder and  (b) fixed penalty notices were given to non-British nationals in each of the last three years, broken down by (i) nationality and (ii) offence.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the nationality or immigration status of offenders issued with penalty notices for disorder and motorists who breach road traffic regulations and are issued with fixed penalty notices, is not collected centrally.
	Information relating to fixed penalty notices for environmental offences is a matter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Pentonville Prison: Standards

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice if she will place in the Library a copy of the report of investigations into professional standards at HM Prison Pentonville resulting in disciplinary action against staff found to have acted in a corrupt manner; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It is not public sector Prison Service policy to disclose copies of investigation reports to anyone other than the member of staff being charged with misconduct and/or their representative.

Prison Accommodation

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what forecasts her Department has made of the  (a) number of cells available and  (b) population at each (i) prison establishment, (ii) HM Prison Service area and (iii) private sector prison, broken down by HM Prison Service area in June 2007; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: NOMS regularly reviews the capacity of the prison estate, taking into account accommodation coming in and out of use following refurbishment and the provision of new capacity. The operational capacity of the prison estate on 25 May was 81,458. This includes up to 400 places available as part of Operation Safeguard.
	Latest published prison population projections for the end of June each year are presented in 'Prison population projections 2006-2013, England and Wales, HOSB 11/06', published in July 2006 as National Statistics. They breakdown the population by gender and identify projected remanded and sentenced prisoner numbers. They project the demand at national level only and do not focus on individual establishments or Prison Service areas. The projections are published in a regular cycle with the next publication provisionally planned for August 2007.

Prison Accommodation: Shipping

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what recent  (a) discussions Ministers and officials from her Department have had and  (b) representations her Department has received on the use of prison ships to reduce overcrowding in prisons.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The use of vessels is being considered as part of a package of measures to provide additional custodial capacity. A notice was placed by the Home Office to jointly serve NOMS/Border and Immigration Agency for proposals to supply vessels of between 200-800 custodial or detention places. This was placed in the Official Journal of the European Union on 20 October 2006.
	Tenders have now been received, but no decision to purchase has yet been made.
	Representations have been received from the public on general matters and from private companies offering the provision of vessels.

Prison Service

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  whether Nick Pascoe is actingas the commissioning authority for the Tasker investigation; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 8 May 2007,  Official Report, column 84W, on the Prison Service, who the commissioning officer is in respect of the Tasker investigation; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The original commissioning authority was the recently retired area manager for London. His successor, Nick Pascoe, has taken over this responsibility.

Prison Service: Harassment

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what representations she has received from the Equal Opportunities Commission concerning harassment within HM Prison Service; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Prison Service has entered intoa formal agreement with the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) to tackle and prevent sexual harassment, which the EOC had raised with the Prison Service as being of concern to them. As a result, the EOC has decided to suspend a formal investigation into these issues. Instead, the EOC will work jointly with the Prison Service to identify and tackle sexual harassment.
	As part of this agreement with the EOC, the Prison Service will undertake a series of initiatives including the launch of an independent survey to identify the nature and extent of sexual harassment and develop an action plan to remedy any problems it finds.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Chris Mullin: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many prisoners are foreign nationals; and how many prisoners were foreign nationals on 14 May 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Figures on the numbers of foreign national prisoners in all prison establishments in England and Wales at the end of March 2007, the latest date for which figures are available, can be found in the table.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to errors with data and processing. Because the detailed population breakdowns have been scaled and also rounded to the nearest whole number, individual components may not sum to the totals.
	
		
			  Prisoners held in all prison establishments in England and Wales 31 March 2007, showing numbers of foreign nationals 
			   Number 
			 All nationalities 79,745 
			 Foreign national 11,168 
			 UK nationals 67,716 
			 Not recorded 860

Prisons: Drugs

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what research she has commissioned into the relationship between the availability of drugs within prison establishments and the maintenance of good order and discipline among inmates; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We have not specifically commissioned research into the links between drugs and good order but available evidence indicates that the supply and use of drugs in prison can lead to bullying and violence with high levels of aggression and assaults on staff. Prisoners and their families may be coerced into supplying drugs. Keeping drugs out of prisons creates safer, healthier prisons and provides a better environment for the delivery of drug treatment. A comprehensive range of measures are in place to reduce the supply of drugs into prisons.

Prisons: Swimming Pools

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the cost was of maintaining swimming pools at  (a) Holloway,  (b) Portland,  (c) Aylesbury Standford Hill and  (d) Blantyre House prisons between April 2006 and April 2007.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Portland and Blantyre House have unheated outdoor pools. The cost of maintaining these pools between April 2006 and April 2007 was approximately £3,890 and £2,500-£3,000 respectively. Holloway, Aylesbury and Standford Hill have heated indoor pools. The estimated cost of maintaining these was £20,200 (inclusive of utilities) at Holloway; £22,660 (also inclusive of utilities) at Standford Hill; and £6,800 plus utilities at Aylesbury. It is difficult to calculate the exact effect that these pools have on the establishments' utility bills (electricity, gas and water) as they are not metered separately.

Probation: Expenditure

Edward Garnier: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the cost has been of probation commissioning activities to date in 2007-08; and what the outcomes have been of such activities.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The planned budget for regional offender managers and their teams, and the director of offender management for Wales and her team, is£12.0 million for 2007-08, including the cost of private prison monitors and controllers. The ROMs and the DOM commission probation activities and custodial provision from Probation Boards, HM Prison Service and private prison providers, as well as engaging in joint commissioning and partnership working with other Government Departments.
	So far during 2007-08, ROMs and the DOM have introduced SLAs with prison and probation areas, including locally negotiated targets for service delivery. The SLAs include a number of targets for the prison and probation providers to meet, including, for example, such measures as the number of offenders into employment and the number of offenders completing interventions ordered by the courts, which contribute to reducing re-offending. The SLAs are monitored regularly by the ROMs and the DOM to ensure that providers are meeting expectations.

Probation: Finance

Edward Garnier: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the anticipated national budget shortfall is for the Probation Service in England and Wales for 2007-08, broken down by probation area.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is currently not available to provide an anticipated variance position against budget by Probation Board for 2007-08. The Probation Boards are required to submit budget monitoring returns on a regular basis which includes the budget to date, actual expenditure to date, variance and forecast outturn. For 2007-08 the first set of returns are due in June, with subsequent returns due monthly thereafter.

Probation: Greater London

Edward Garnier: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what steps are being taken in the Greater London Probation Area to keep within budget in 2007-08.

Gerry Sutcliffe: London Probation Board at its meeting on 24 May 2007 approved a balanced budget for the financial year 2007-08. To achieve this, strict financial measures on expenditure were continued from the previous financial year together with a recruitment freeze for non-business critical posts.

Probation: Nottinghamshire

John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Ministryof Justice what job description will be used incontracts for community probation provision in Nottinghamshire.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Contracts for probation provision, or SLAs as they are currently, are the mechanism by which the Regional Offender Manager holds the probation area to account for the performance elements that constitute the contract or SLA. The contracts set out the service specifications that the probation area is required to deliver against in return for the resources that the probation area receives. It is a matter for the probation area to deliver the services, using appropriately trained and qualified staff, and within prescribed national standards. The contract/SLA does not, and will not include job descriptions.

Probation: Nottinghamshire

John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what plans she has for outsourcing community probation services in Nottinghamshire.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There are no specific plans centrally to outsource "community probation services" either in Nottingham or anywhere else. The document, 'Improving Prison and Probation Services, Public Value Partnerships', published by NOMS in August 2006, gives a broad indication of the types of probation services that might, in the future, be subject to competitive processes, but is clear in indicating that change will be measured and geared to achieving the best providers of services, without any quotas for any one sector over another. Probation boards do have requirements to achieve levels of expenditure through sub-contracting services to other providers, 10 per cent. during 2007-08 up from 5 per cent. in 2006-07, but only if such arrangements offer better value.

Probation: Training

Edward Garnier: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice whether a newly trained probation officer who is not offered employment in the area in which they trained and who refuses employment offered in another area will be expected to repay their training fees.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The decision whether to re-claim tuition fees is a matter for local probation areas to decide.

Reoffenders

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the most recent figures are for the rates of reoffending following  (a) custodial sentences and  (b) community sentences.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The most recent reoffending rates were published in "Re-offending of Adults: results from the 2004 cohort". This covers offenders who were released from prison or commenced a community penalty in the first quarter of 2004, for England and Wales. The actual reoffending rate is the percentage of offenders who reoffended during a two year follow-up period and who were subsequently convicted in court. The actual reoffending rate was 64.7 per cent. for custodial sentences and 50.5 per cent. for community sentences for the 2004 cohort. However, the relationship between disposal and reoffending is complex; the disposal given depends upon the characteristics of the offender, which will also affect their chances of reoffending. This is discussed further in the Statistical Bulletin which can be found at
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb0607.pdf

Bus Services: Finance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive the results of his Bus Subsidy Review; and whether he plans to publish the review.

Gillian Merron: A review of bus subsidy forms part of our current comprehensive spending review, which is due to be settled in the autumn of 2007. Discussions with stakeholders on the options for a reform of bus subsidy are on-going, as set out in the Department's document, "Putting Passengers First", published last December.

Departments: Data Protection

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times his Department was found to have been in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The definition of 'found to have been in breach' can be broad. Depending on their nature, breaches by Government Departments ofthe Data Protection Act 1998 can be dealt with bythe Information Commissioner, the Courts or by Departments at an informal local level. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of his Department's special advisers were on  (a) paid and  (b) unpaid leave in order to assist with party political matters under section 22 (iii) of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers on Wednesday 16 May 2007; and how many days' leave each adviser was granted.

Gillian Merron: Special advisers' involvement in party political matters is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, including section 22 (iii), and the guidance issued by the Cabinet Secretary in December 2006 and May 2007, copies of which are in the Libraries of the House.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Databases

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were prosecuted for failure to submit updated information to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Ladyman: Drivers and vehicle keepers are required to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) when changes occur in personal details and vehicle keepership. It is an offence to fail to notify such changes.
	In the main, prosecution of such offences is for the police and comprehensive information on the number of prosecutions relating to these offences is not kept by this Department.
	Since 1999, DVLA has taken forward its own prosecutions under dual notification arrangements, which apply when a vehicle changes hands, and require the disposing keeper to notify the DVLA of the details of the new keeper. The following table sets out the numbers of cases settled both out of court and via successful prosecution at magistrates court.
	
		
			   Settled out of court  Successful prosecutions 
			 1999-2000 1,717 179 
			 2000-01 9,274 934 
			 2001-02 16,844 1,818 
			 2002-03 29,262 4,469 
			 2003-04 24,722 4,663 
			 2004-05 10,546 5,025 
			 2005-06 9,143 5,265 
			 2006-07 7,586 4,948 
			 Totals 109,094 27,301

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Shrewsbury

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to increase the staff numbers at the Shrewsbury Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency local office; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Responsibility for staffing of departmental offices is vested in DfT officials who are charged with maintaining adequate levels to meet customer demand. Fluctuations in workloads, especially at times of the peak demand for vehicle registration and licensing between March and May, can result in a need for additional staff. This seasonal demand is met by the appointment of short-term casual employees. There are vacancies at Shrewsbury, and recruitment of staff is under way to return the office to its appropriate full-time compliment.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Shrewsbury

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the reasons for the Shrewsbury Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency local office not achieving its 48 hour target for processing registration documents relating to EU imported vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: While every effort is made to adhere to published service times, fluctuations in workloads can occasionally result in a failure to meet targets. The period between March and May is a peak time for vehicle registration and licensing transactions and the Agency is currently experiencing delays in some local office transactions.
	These delays have been exacerbated by industrial action called by the PCS which resulted in the loss of a day's processing and a two-week ban on overtime. DVLA apologises to its customers and assures them that every effort is being made to return to normal service times. During this peak period, service times for the processing of registration documents relating to EU imported vehicles in Shrewsbury DVLA local office fluctuated between two and five working days.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Shrewsbury

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the levels of stress-related illness at the Shrewsbury Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency local office; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: All Agencies and business areas within the Department for Transport take the well being of their staff extremely seriously. DVLA carefully monitors the reasons for absence from work and provides a range of support mechanisms to care for its employees.
	Statistics for the Shrewsbury office show an annual sickness absence level of nine days per employee for the period April 2006 to March 2007, of which absences directly attributed to stress account for one day per employee. This is broadly in line with the average for DVLA local offices, and is below the national average for many customer facing Government services.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Shrewsbury

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will contact staff at the Shrewsbury Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency local office to hear their views on staff conditions; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: In common with all Government Departments, the Secretary of State vests responsibility for the well being of staff employed by the Department in his officials. DVLA have assured me that both the regional operations manager and his area manager have visited Shrewsbury local office on several occasions recently and have held open forums with the staff giving them an opportunity to discuss any areas of concern.

Pollution Control: Greater London

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether agencies responsible to his Department will be involved in the enforcement of the London low emission zone.

Gillian Merron: The London Low Emission Zoneis the responsibility of the Mayor of London. Enforcement activities in relation to the Zone will be delivered by Transport for London, with support from the DVLA in the form of vehicle and keeper details, and from VOSA in the form of vehicle registration marks.

Radar: Radio Spectrum

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what plans he has to extend administrative incentive pricing of the radio spectrum to maritime and aeronautical radar;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the safety implications of extending administrative incentive pricing of the radio spectrum to maritime and aeronautical radar.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government made clear in their response to the Independent Audit that safety will remain paramount. Experts in the Department's Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the independent aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), are working closely with Ofcom on the safety factors to be taken into account when considering the application of administered incentive pricing to maritime and aeronautical radar. The precise details of future pricing arrangements for this service will be proposed by Ofcom and will be subject to consultation.

Rolling Stock

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the merits of upgrading the UK rail network to 9 ft 6 standards.

Tom Harris: Rail transport of 9ft 6 high sea-freight containers requires that the route be at least 'W10' gauge, unless specialised low-height rolling stock is used. Parts of the network are already cleared to this standard. Network Rail's Freight Utilisation Strategy (March 2007) sets out a strategy for accommodating predicted freight growth, including proposals for selective extension of W10 gauge. The Department for Transport has announced that it is considering a number of schemes of this type for financial assistance from the Transport Innovation Fund.

Shipping: Industrial Health and Safety

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact on safety and environmental standards of the decision of the Marine and Coastguard Agency to contract out Vessel Traffic Services; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is the Competent Authority for Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) in UK waters. VTS facilities are provided by port authorities within port limits and, to date, where required outside of port limits, they have been provided by port authorities on behalf of the MCA under the terms of Memoranda of Understanding. To ensure that safety and environmental standards are maintained, these agreements provide for auditing and monitoring of the service provider and the service provided.
	A revision of the routeing measures at the Sunk Precautionary Area has been adopted at the International Maritime Organization and will come into effect on 1 July 2007. This coincides with the expiry of the agreement between the Harwich Haven Authority and the MCA for provision of VTS for the Sunk. In anticipation that the enlarged routeing measure may require additional resources to manage the vessel traffic, the provision of the VTS facility has been offered on a competitive tendering basis in accordance with Government procurement rules. The evaluation of tenders will include assessment of the potential contractors' ability to meet safety and environmental standards. As the Competent Authority, the MCA will, of course, retain ultimate responsibility for the conduct of the VTS.

South West Trains: Standards

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what mechanisms are in place to monitor levels of passenger comfort on the new carriages introduced by South West Trains on their inter-city routes.

Tom Harris: The introduction of the Class 450s has meant that older trains have been replaced with newer stock on wider sections of the network, leading to an increase in overall capacity. This allows greater numbers of passengers to have a seat during their journey.
	SSWT advise that the Class 450s fully comply with all health and safety requirements.

Tolls

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether local authorities will be allowed to retain 100 per cent. of the funds raised by local road pricing schemes; and what use will be permitted of surplus funds raised by such schemes.

Stephen Ladyman: Our draft Local Transport Bill contains provisions that will have the effect that all the net proceeds of all local charging schemes are to be used for local transport purposes. (See notes onclause 82.)

Tolls

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether the timetable of 2012 for the implementation of the European Electronic Tolling Service for cars using road pricing schemes is expected to be met;
	(2)  whether it will be a condition for the approval of any local authority road pricing schemes that the technical provisions conform with EC Directive 2004/52, on the interoperability of electronic toll collection systems.

Stephen Ladyman: EC Directive 2004/52 requires that the European electronic tolling service is defined by a Commission Decision. The directive requires full implementation of the service within three years of the date of the Commission Decision for heavy vehicles and within five years of the Decision for other vehicles. No Commission Decision has yet been taken.

Tolls

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the latest date is that local authority road pricing schemes will have to be fully operational in order to adhere to the Eddington timetable of establishing comprehensive road pricing by 2015;
	(2)  how long it is expected to take to evaluate the lessons learned from local authority road pricing schemes for a national road pricing scheme from the time the schemes are fully operational;
	(3)  what criteria he plans to use to evaluate the lessons learned from local authority road pricing schemes for a national road pricing scheme.

Stephen Ladyman: No decisions have been taken on whether to introduce a national road pricing scheme. Local schemes will be evaluated on the basis of their effectiveness in tackling congestion and wider impacts. We expect lessons to be learned during the development phase as well as after introduction.

Tolls

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the technical standards for the European Electronic Tolling Service have been agreed.

Stephen Ladyman: Technical requirements for the EETS will be defined in a Commission Decision made under Articles 4(4) and 4(6) of the Directive. No such Decision has yet been taken.

Tolls

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether local authority road pricing schemes will be required to integrate with the European Electronic Tolling Service.

Stephen Ladyman: Any local charging scheme that falls within the scope of Directive 2004/52 will be required to accommodate users of the European Electronic Tolling Service.

Tolls

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether individual local authorities implementing road pricing schemes will be set specific congestion reduction targets.

Stephen Ladyman: On 8 February 2007,  Official Report, column 47WS, the Secretary of State announced in a written ministerial statement, the publication of guidance for local authorities interested in developing business cases for funding from the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) for local schemes to tackle congestion. The 'Business case requirements for Programme Entry' section of this guidance sets out the Government's position on this point.

Tolls

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to evaluate the impact on motorways of local road pricing schemes.

Stephen Ladyman: The business case for any local road pricing scheme should include an assessment of the impact on all surrounding roads, including motorways. Specific guidance on the appraisal of road pricing schemes is provided in WebTAGthe Department for Transport's transport analysis guidance.

Tolls

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to take steps to allow satellite based local authority road pricing systems to integrate signals from different satellite systems.

Stephen Ladyman: There are presently no proposals from local authorities for satellite based charging systems. The integration of signals from different systems will be dependent on the technology selected at the time that any such scheme were proposed.

999 Text Message

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up a nationwide 999 text message service for deaf people who cannot telephone the emergency services.

Vernon Coaker: An emergency text relay service is already available to give the deaf and hard of hearing access to the emergency services. In addition a working group, including representatives from the emergency services and the mobile operators, has been set up by the 999 Liaison Committee to see whether an SMS emergency number service can be provided.

Antisocial Behaviour

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of levels of perception of antisocial behaviour in  (a) England and Wales and  (b) West Bromwich East constituency in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 4 June 2007
	The perception of antisocial behaviour is measured by the British Crime Survey (BCS). In 2005-06 the percentage of people perceiving a high level of antisocial behaviour according to the BCS in England and Wales was 17 per cent. In 2004-05 the figure was 17 per cent. and in 2003-04 the figure was 16 per cent.
	The BCS data is not broken down to constituency level, only figures for the police force area are available. These figures show that for the West Midlands police force area the percentage of people perceiving a high level of antisocial behaviour was 26 per cent. in 2005-06 and 21 per cent. in 2004-05. There are no published figures for the perceptions data for the West Midlands police force area in 2003-04 as at that time the reporting of antisocial behaviour was measured using five strands of behaviour rather than the seven strands used currently. However, the BCS detected no statistically significant changes in the overall level of antisocial behaviour between 2003-04 and 2004-05 in the West Midlands police force area.

Closed Circuit Television

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has carried out on the  (a) accuracy and  (b) utility of facial recognition technology using CCTV footage.

John Reid: The Home Office recognises the potential of automated facial recognition technologies as applied to CCTV systems in order to support effective policing, security and counter terrorism activities. The Department has undertaken limited assessments to determine the accuracy and utility of these technologies. Recent advances in the performance of face recognition hardware and software have led to the formation of a special interest group representing stakeholders in these activities to determine the way forward, chaired by the Biometric Centre of Expertise at the Home Office Scientific Development Branch.

Crime: Surveys

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which external survey research company his Department commissions to carry out the British Crime Survey; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office currently commission BMRB Social Research to carry out the British Crime Survey.

Drugs: Smuggling

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement onthe Central Drugs Trafficking Database; and what the estimated cost is of the establishment and maintenance of the database.

Vernon Coaker: The Central Drugs Trafficking Database is a Metropolitan Police project that is inthe process of being developed using funding from Metropolitan Police budgets.

Entry Clearances

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the number of people who stayed in the UK after their tourist visa expired in each of the last three years; and what his estimate is of the number of such people who were based in London.

Liam Byrne: As the Home Secretary set out in his evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee on23 May 2006, following the dismantling of embarkation controls beginning in 1994, no government has been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally, and that remains the case. The Home Secretary has set a clear goal of reintroducing systems to count everyone in and out of Britain.

Parliament Square: Protests

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner on the number of semi-permanent dwellings in Parliament Square and the consequences of such obstructions if an air ambulance attempted to land.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office is in regular discussion with the Metropolitan Police Service and the Greater London Authority about the presence of the tents on Parliament Square.
	While the presence of the tents is an operational matter for both the Metropolitan Police Service andthe Greater London Authority working within the framework of relevant legislation, the Home Office is providing appropriate co-ordination in response to a number of parliamentary and public requests.
	We have not specifically discussed the consequences of the tents causing an obstruction to an air ambulance attempting to land on Parliament Square. The responsibility of landing the air ambulance is with the pilot, who will take into account all risks before and during landing and take off.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) immigration officers are on secondment to the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

John Reid: As of 1 May 2007, 76 police officers were seconded into the Serious Organised Crime Agency. No immigration officers are on secondment to SOCA.

Air Ambulance Services: Parliament Square

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that the physical obstructions in Parliament square do not prevent an air ambulance landing at that location if required.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	The London Air Ambulance (Virgin HEMS) have strict operating protocols regarding ad hoc landingsin the congested area of London that take into consideration the size of the site, surrounding obstructions and the performance of the aircraft. A possible landing in Parliament square would be no different, in this regard, to landing at any other congested area site.

Arthritis: Drugs

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what her estimate is of the number of deaths there were in the UK directly resulting from the prescription of the rheumatoid arthritis drug methotrexate in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what her estimate is of the number of deaths there were in the UK directly resulting from the prescription of the rheumatoid arthritis drug leflunomide in each of the last three years;
	(3)  what her estimate is of the number of deaths there were in the UK directly resulting from the prescription of the rheumatoid arthritis drugs methotrexate and leflunomide in conjunction in each of the last three years.

Caroline Flint: Methotrexate is used in the treatment of a variety of conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and cancers (including leukaemias, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and head and neck cancer). Leflunomide (Arava) is used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. Leflunomide is not authorised for use in conjunction with any other disease-modifying medicine, such as methotrexate.
	Reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Commission for Human Medicines (CHM) through the spontaneous reporting scheme, the Yellow Card Scheme.
	For the three year period up to 30 April 2007, the MHRA/CHM had received a total of 19 spontaneous reports of suspected ADRs with a fatal outcome in association with methotrexate when used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. In the majority of the 19 reports the cause of death was attributed tolung disorders (such as pulmonary fibrosis and pneumonitis) and infections (septicaemia/septic shock). There were seven reports with a fatal outcome that were reported in association with leflunomide therapy. The cause of death in the seven reports was attributed to liver failure (one), lung disorder (two), heart attack (one), chest infection (one) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (two). The MHRA has not received any ADR reports with a fatal outcome associated with the combined use of methotrexate and leflunomide.
	It is important to note that the submission of a suspected ADR report does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the drug. Many factors have to be taken into account in assessing causal relationships including temporal association, the possible contribution of concomitant medications and the patient's underlying disease. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are at increased risk of developing serious infections and lung disorders as part of the natural disease process even in the absence of drug treatment.
	The product information for methotrexate and leflunomide which is provided to doctors and patients has extensive information regarding the risk of developing serious lung disorders and infections. The product information also mentions the need for patients to have a full blood count and liver function tests before starting treatment and at regular intervals thereafter to detect potential adverse effects on the blood and liver. As with all medicines, the MHRA and CHM will continue to closely monitor the safe use of methotrexate and leflunomide.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many breast screenings were undertaken by each primary care (PCT) trust in each of the last five years, broken down by age group; how many invitations were sent out by each PCT for breast screening in each of the last five years; and what estimate her Department has made of the attendance take-up rate of breast screenings for each PCT.

Rosie Winterton: The data requested has been placed in the Library.

Cancer: Health Services

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to establish a cancer centre in Liverpool; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Board of Liverpool primary care trust decided on 22 May 2007 that breast cancer services for the city would be centralised at the Royal Liverpool University hospital. The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University hospitals NHS trust is now planning to build a dedicated ward for breast cancer care.

Childbirth

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on compliance with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's recommendation on monitoring foetal heart beats in the first and second stages of labour in hospital maternity units; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 4 June 2007
	None. The national service framework for children, young people and maternity services states that maternity services should comply with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines for the provision of high quality clinical care including the provision of ante-natal, intrapartum and post-partum and caesarean sections, as and when the are available and updated.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussion her Department has had with the Medical Research Council on funding for biomedical research into myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has made to the Medical Research Council on funding into bio-medical research on myalgic encephalomyelitis; and if she will make a statement.

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has held any discussions with the Medical Research Council on funding for biomedical research into myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Ivan Lewis: Following the publications of the report of his independent working group on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) in 2002, the chief medical officer asked the Medical Research Council (MRC) to develop a research strategy to advance biomedical and health services research in this area. The MRC responded in May 2003 with the publication of a Research Strategy for CFS/ME developed by an independent scientific research advisory group.
	Sir David Cooksey's report A review of UK health research funding recommended a single health research fund and the establishment of the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research to act as a central co-ordinating body for health research. The MRC and the Department's National Institute for Health Research will in future be subject to these new oversight and funding arrangements.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department has taken to ensure the continuance of specialist services for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome following the movement from primary care trust baseline budgets to the NHS bundle.

Ivan Lewis: From 2006-07, monies previously held within central budgets for allocation to the national health service have now been included within a single budget (the NHS bundle) as a block sum for strategic health authorities to manage. To ensure that the desired outcomes are achieved, the 2007-08 bundle is supplemented by a service level agreement, which includes details of the services to be providedfrom the bundle, including services for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, and the governance and accountability arrangements.

Dental Services

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many denture repairs were provided by the NHS in each quarter since 1997; and at what cost in each quarter;
	(2)  how many Units of Dental Activity were expended on denture repairs in each quarter since 1 April 2006.

Rosie Winterton: The requested information on numbers of denture repairs and their cost is provided in the following table for the period 1 January 1998 to 31 March 2006.
	The information requested is only available until31 March 2006. The information was collected as part of the previous remuneration system in place until April 2006. Dentists no longer submit claims for individual items of service but report overall courses of treatment delivered.
	Information therefore cannot be provided on the number of denture repairs, their cost, or the units of dental activity used to provide such denture repairs since 1 April 2006.
	
		
			  Denture repair treatment and cost of treatment carried out by national health service dentists for each quarter in England from 1 January 1998 to 31 March 2006 
			   Denture repairs treatments  Cost ()  Denture relining or adjustments treatments  Cost () 
			 January-March 1998 118,273 1,407,021 28,206 800,548 
			 April-June 1998 114,184 1,395,472 28,197 820,208 
			 July-September 1998 109,531 1,362,453 27,956 824,892 
			 October-December 1998 114,213 1,425,089 29,680 878,600 
			 January-March 1999 111,093 1,393,633 26,120 778,177 
			 April-June 1999 103,465 1,319,852 30,815 826,008 
			 July-September 1999 102,963 1,365,690 37,704 910,963 
			 October-December 1999 106,765 1,379,631 35,945 940,835 
			 January-March 2000 102,044 1,315,794 24,613 750,986 
			 April-June 2000 103,290 1,358,346 27,502 835,315 
			 July-September 2000 98,704 1,317,454 27,316 836,364 
			 October-December 2000 97,046 1,295,135 27,167 837,356 
			 January-March 2001 95,411 1,271,837 23,486 725,943 
			 April-June 2001 94,872 1,292,267 24,524 783,937 
			 July-September 2001 91,511 1,268,707 24,763 811,515 
			 October-December 2001 93,743 1,298,810 27,605 860,490 
			 January-March 2002 89,115 1,235,349 24,297 739,403 
			 April-June 2002 90,738 1,282,070 24,414 784,069 
			 July-September 2002 87,843 1,262,638 22,143 760,304 
			 October-December 2002 89,527 1,289,283 23,308 800,751 
			 January-March 2003 84,718 1,221,262 19,856 680,961 
			 April-June 2003 86,091 1,244,682 21,191 728,213 
			 July-September 2003 82,828 1,223,015 21,251 741,809 
			 October-December 2003 84,932 1,263,229 21,995 777,455 
			 January-March 2004 81,427 1,212,089 18,747 658,133 
			 April-June 2004 78,618 1,178,550 19,697 696,104 
			 July-September 2004 73,520 1,124,692 18,674 668,735 
			 October-December 2004 77,138 1,182,991 20,165 725,292 
			 January-March 2005 74,521 1,141,723 17,524 627,877 
			 April-June 2005 73,239 1,146,519 18,755 688,770 
			 July-September 2005 68,042 1,076,791 18,069 671,954 
			 October-December 2005 68,217 1,084,676 18,813 701,295 
			 January-March 2006 64,756 1,026,163 16,695 621,349 
			  Notes: 1. Claims are allocated to the quarter in which they were reported and processed and not necessarily when the work was carried out. 2. Data only includes treatments reported and processed up to 31 March 2006. 3. Denture repairs are described as following treatment codes in the Statement of Dental Remuneration: 2801, 2802, 2811, 2812, 5501, 5502, 5503, 5504, 5511, 5512 4. Dental Relining and Adjustment are described as following treatments codes in Statement of Dental Remuneration: 2851, 2852, 2853, 2854, 2855, 2856, 5531, 5532, 5541, 5543, 5551, 5552, 5553, 5554, 5555, 5556. 5. These have been counted as the number of treatments performed on a claim. (If the same treatment code appears twice on the claim it will be counted twice). 6. Treatment cost () is the cost of the treatments.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care Business Services Authority (BSA) Dental Practice Division.

Dental Services

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Unit of Dental Activity payment fee is in each primary care trust in England.

Rosie Winterton: Data collected by the Department centrally does not identify the value of units of dental activity (UDAs) in each primary care trust (PCT). UDA values will vary because of a number of factors, including differences in treatment patterns and treatment needs in different areas, the contract values negotiated locally by PCTs and dental practices, and the degree to which PCTs and practices may have agreed service outputs that cannot be measured through patient courses of treatment.

Dental Services

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what target is set by her Department for the average number of units of dental activity per hour a dentist is expected to achieve.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has set no targets for the level of activity, hourly or otherwise, that a dentist is expected to achieve. Local contracts, agreed between primary care trusts and dental providers, specify the overall level of patient services to be delivered over a 12 month period. Annual service levels are expressed in terms of the number of courses of treatment provided to patients, with a weighting to reflect the relative complexity of different courses of treatment.

Dental Services: Funding

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 1 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1596W, on dental services: funding, how much dental service increment for teaching funding was allocated to the National Dental Workforce Unit; what proportion of this funding was allocated to each National Health Service trust; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The amount allocated to the National Dental Workforce Unit to fund the dental service increment for teaching in 2006-07 was 76,736,869.
	The amounts allocated to individual national health service trusts by the National Dental Workforce Unit in 2006-07 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  NHS trust  Funding allocated by national dental workforce unit  () 
			 South Birmingham Primary Care Trust 8,478,548 
			 United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust 6,077,412 
			 Guy's and St Thomas1 NHS Foundation Trust 13,527,491 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Trust 6,976,263 
			 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 7,001,932 
			 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital NHS Trust 7,062,039 
			 Bart's and the London NHS Trust 8,019,465 
			 Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospital NHS Trust 5,766,793 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 8,030,884 
			 Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 6,609,435 
			 Peninsula Dental School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth 1,000,000 
			 National Dental Workforce Unit administrative costs 220,000 
			 Total (1)78,770,262 
			 (1) The total funding allocated by the National Dental Workforce Unit (NDWU) exceeded the 2006-07 allocation from the Department. The balance was funded by reserves that the NDWU had accumulated.

Dentistry: Taxation

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions her Department has had with  (a) HM Treasury and  (b) HM Revenue and Customs on the tax and national insurance status of dentists.

Rosie Winterton: The Department's only recent discussions with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) were to clarify that the nature of the contracts to provide national health service dental services introduced from 1 April 2006 between primary dental care providers and primary care trusts would not affect the employment status of independent dental practitioners. Tax and national insurance issues for dentists who are not NHS salaried employees are a matter between the individual dentist and HMRC. The employment arrangements for dentists working within independent dental practices is a matter for the dental provider which employs or engages them.

Disabled Children (Family Support) Bill

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to support the Disabled Children (Family Support) Bill; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: I have been asked to reply.
	The recent report from HM Treasury and the Department for Education and Skills Aiming high for disabled children: better support for families (May 2007) sets out the actions and proposals that the Government believe will make a real difference to all disabled children and their families. The actions and proposals are supported by a funding package of340 million which is to be spent over the next Comprehensive spending review period.
	A copy of the report can be downloaded from the Every Child Matters website:
	http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/news/?asset=Newsid=64688

Health Hazards: Noise

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether she plans to introduce an upper or overall noise exposure limit for members of the public attending  (a) indoor and  (b) outdoor venues where loud music is played; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what research she has undertaken on the use of regulations in other countries to set upper and overall noise exposure limits for members of the public attending  (a) indoor and  (b) outdoor venues where loud music is played; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are planning to introduce a 'permitted level' for night noise (11 pm to 7 am) from licensed premises, through the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, later this year. This power will enable local authorities to take action once a warning notice has been served, with the option to offer the opportunity to discharge the offence through payment of a fixed penalty notice of 500. This will be a power for local authorities, not a duty. In addition, local authorities have a duty to deal with statutory noise nuisance from premises under Part III of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
	No research has been undertaken specifically on the use of similar legislation in other countries in this area. However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that a general outdoor daytime limit of55 decibels (A) Leq is desirable to prevent any significant community annoyance. The WHO also recommends that, for good sleep, the sound-level should not exceed 30 decibels (A) for continuous background noise, and individual noises events exceeding 45 decibels (A) should be avoided.
	The code of practice on environmental noise control at concerts recommends that music noise levels (MNL) should not exceed guidelines at one metre from the faade of any noise sensitive premises or events held between the hours of 9 am and 11 pm. These guidelines are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Concert days per calendar year, per venue  Venue category  Guideline 
			 One to three Urban stadiums or arenas The MNL should not exceed 75dB(A) over a 15 minute period. 
			 One to three Other urban and rural venues The MNL should not exceed 65dB(A) over a 15 minute period. 
			 Four to 12 All venues The MNL should not exceed the background noise level by more than 15dB(A) over a 15 minute period.

Health Services: Barnsley

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the total allocation of funding to  (a) Barnsley Health Authority and  (b) Barnsley Primary Care Trust for orthodontic services was for each year between 2000 and 2006;
	(2)  what the total allocation of funding for orthodontic services for  (a) Barnsley,  (b) Doncaster,  (c) Rotherham and  (d) St. Helens was in each year between 1997 and 2006.

Rosie Winterton: Most national health service orthodontic care in the primary sector is providedby dental practitioners working as independent contractors. Prior to April 2006, most orthodontic services were provided under general dental services (GDS) arrangements. These were demand-led services where the pattern of dental expenditure was largely determined by where dentists chose to practice, and how much NHS work they chose to undertake. Primary care trusts (PCTs) were not awarded fixed funding allocations for GDS.
	PCTs only assumed full responsibility for local commissioning of primary care dentistry and received devolved budgets with effect from 1 April 2006. A table listing the primary dental service resource allocations for 2006-07 for all PCTs in England as at 31 July 2006 is available in the Library. Those allocations reflected the most current data on levels of expenditure on general and orthodontic services by dental contractors in each area. Subject to offering contracts to all serving contractors, PCTs were free to vary the balance of resources committed to either general or orthodontic care, or to supplement provision from within their total NHS resources, if they considered this an appropriate local priority.

Maternity Services: Barnet Hospital

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent reports she has received on the service provided by the Barnet Hospital maternity unit; what assessment she has made of the impact of the transfer of maternity services from Chase Farm Hospital to Barnet Hospital on the services provided; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 23 April 2007
	It is for the local national health service to decide upon the best way to provide health services to the community it serves.

Mental Health Services: Sexual Offences

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1607W, on mental health services: sexual offences, what steps she has taken to ensure that patients making allegations of rape or sexual assault receive counselling and support; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: As set out in the Department's guidance entitled Safety, privacy and dignity in mental health units, national health service trust boards are responsible for putting in place policies and procedures to address patient safety, privacy and dignity including those for preventing and dealing with all forms of harassment and abuse. This responsibility is enshrined in Standards for Better Health and as thus, is a crucial part of the performance assessment framework of NHS trusts.
	In line with the standard care planning process, and indeed with good professional practice, mental health service users' clinical needs should be regularly assessed and their care plans updated accordingly. Service users should then be offered effective treatments, including psychological interventions, to meet those needs.

NHS: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in how many private finance initiative projects in the National Health Service have leases for land and property been granted to commercial organisations which exceed the length of the project; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: There are five major private finance initiative (PFI) schemes which have leases for the land on which the hospital is constructed that exceed the length of the contract.
	
		
			  Years 
			  Scheme  Contract length (break options exist where over 30 years)  Length of lease 
			 North Cumbria Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust 45 125 
			 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 60 75 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospitals NHS Trust 60 125 
			 Hereford NHS Trust 30 125 
			 County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 30 45 
		
	
	In the case of County Durham and Dartford and Gravesham, the leases terminate either on expiry of the contract period or on an earlier termination at a break point. In any event, the excess lease period is of insufficient length to be of any commercial value. While the trusts have the right to abandon the site at the end of the contract period to the private sector, at present the only situation in which it is envisaged that the trust would want to abandon the site was if the land and buildings had a negative value and there was no health care use.
	Given that this is highly unlikely, the trust will almost inevitably exercise its right to take the site back into public ownership, thus automatically terminating the lease.
	In the case of Hereford, on termination at the end of the contract period the trust has four options, three of which result in it retaining the land at no cost and one where the private sector retain their long lease. The only scenario where the head lease would continue in the private sector's hands is if the trust itself wants to let it continue. Given the trust has the option to terminate and use the land as it wishes, it is again difficult to envisage why the trust would ever want to exercise this option.
	The position at North Cumbria and Greenwich is less straightforward. At Carlisle, if the contracts continue for the full 45-year term, the head lease falls away at the end of term. If, however, the trust terminates the contract at the 30-year break point, the trust must either compensate the special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the residual value of the contract (essentially any profits foregone and any unrecovered costs that would have been covered if the lease had run its full term), or it could simply vacate the site and the SPV could then retain the lease for the remainder of the 125-year period.
	It is not possible to determine what decisions the trust would make at the 30-year point, but it will be primarily dependent on operational need as if the hospital was still required, renewing the lease for 15 years would result in its full term being served. If there was no operational need for the hospital or the site, the relative costs and benefits of the termination payment would be compared to those of surrendering of the lease, and the most beneficial option for the taxpayer selected. However, given the remote location of the hospital, it is unlikely that there will be no need for the hospital in 20 years' time (30 years from 1997).
	The contract at Greenwich (Queen Elizabeth hospitals) has a base term of 60 years, with a head lease of 125 years. If the contracts run for the full 60-year term, the trust has the option to cancel the head lease provided there is a healthcare purpose either for the land or for the cash proceeds from any sale. It is impossible to see how the trust would not exercise this option.
	At the breakpoint of 30 and 45 years, the trust can terminate the private finance initiative (PFI) contract, but the SPV would have the right to retain the head lease for the land for the remainder of the 125-year period. However, at the 30 and 45-year point, the availability payments fall away and the trust will make no building related payments. At the same time all domestic and support services are re-tendered and the trust need only pay for what it specifies at that point.
	Again, it is not possible to predict with certainty what will happen in many years time. If there was a health care need the contract would be renewed after the re-tendering. However, if there was no health care need, in the area, decisions would be taken on the basis of best value for money for the taxpayer.
	In all cases, the freehold of the land remains with the NHS, unless it resolves to sell or vacate it.
	These variations arose because, in the early days of PFI, each trust developed its own contract, and there were differences in the way leases were managed. In all contracts after these five, contracts and head leases are coterminous and the head lease automatically falls away with the contract.

NHS: Uniforms

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  for what reasons the measurable standards of laundering for workwear worn by workers in NHS hospital kitchens and workwear worn by nurses on NHS hospital wards dealing direct with patients are not comparable;
	(2)  what guidance is given to NHS trusts on the standards of laundering for  (a) nurses' workwear and  (b) kitchen staff workwear; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  when she intends to publish the conclusions of the Uniform and Laundry Review Group on the Code of Practice for prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections.

Rosie Winterton: Setting standards for the laundering of staff clothing is a matter for local determination and the Department has not issued any standards in this area. However, Duty 4(h) of the Health Act 2006 Code of Practice requires that clothing worn by staff when carrying out their duties (including uniforms) is clean and fit for purpose.
	A Uniform and Laundry Review Group has been deliberating this issue, and will shortly publish evidence-based good practice statements to help trusts develop local policies. Additionally, Health Service Guideline HSG(95)18 sets out the procedures to be applied when dealing with used and infected linen; this Guideline is currently under review.

Paramedical Staff: Manpower

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many paramedics were employed in each strategic health authority area in  (a) 2001,  (b) 2002,  (c) 2003,  (d) 2004 and  (e) 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  National health service hospital and community health services: ambulance paramedics in England by strategic health authority (SHA) as at 30 September each specified year 
			  Headcount 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 England 7,075 7,147 7,241 7,536 8,311 
			 North East SHA area 273 255 276 301 322 
			 North West SHA area 966 902 1,037 1,037 1,181 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA area 707 683 770 804 836 
			 East Midlands SHA area 509 501 485 500 521 
			 West Midlands SHA area 810 885 858 869 1,178 
			 East of England SHA area 1,020 1,051 749 795 870 
			 London SHA area 744 111 830 875 961 
			 South East SHA area 579 597 619 650 649 
			 South Central SHA area 485 470 540 557 629 
			 South West SHA area 982 1,032 1,077 1,144 1,164 
			 Special health authorities and other statutory bodies4  
			  Note: 2005 data are as reported by the ambulance trusts.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care non-medical workforce census.

Pregnant Women: Domestic Violence

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Health what progress has been made on implementation of her Department's guidance on questioning pregnant women about experiences of abuse and domestic violence to identify cases of adult abuse and help prevent children's exposure to abuse and violence.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 4 June 2007
	Following publication of Responding to Domestic Abuse: A handbook for health professionals (January 2006) the Department has supported the work of the National Domestic Abuse Co-ordinator in a range of domestic abuse policy implementation activities at national, regional and primary care trust-level. Specifically in June and July 2006 regional strategic breakfasts were held with the Home Office involving the former regional offices with the aim of strengthening local partnerships. The events enabled the sharing of good practice in this area.
	The co-ordinator is also training and supporting specialist health visitors in an intensive parenting intervention project. Work is also in hand to develop a template with embedded diagnostic codes for domestic abuse.

Iraq

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if she will make a statement on the security situation in Iraq.

Kim Howells: The security situation varies across Iraq. Sectarian violence and attacks by terrorist groups represent the biggest challenge around Baghdad. In the south, the most serious problem is competition among Shi 'i militias and criminal gangs. In Basra most attacks are against coalition forces. In provinces where the Iraqi authorities have assumed responsibility, they have shown themselves capable of dealing with security challenges. We continue to support them in developing their security capability.

India

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Indian counterpart on relations between India and Burma.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs raised Burma with the Indian Government in June and November last year. He urged the Indian Government to use its influence to help bring peace, stability and democracy to Burma.

Lebanon

Kitty Ussher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the political and security situation in Lebanon.

Kim Howells: The Government have serious concerns about the political and security situation in Lebanon. Following months of political deadlock the recent upsurge of violence is a worrying development. We fully support the Government of Lebanon in its efforts to bring the situation under control. We urge them to minimise civilian casualties and prioritise the humanitarian needs of the Palestinians.
	We welcome UN Security Council Resolution 1757 establishing the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. We call on all parties to move forward on this basis.

Aviation Training: United States

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the US Administration on the treatment of British citizens of Asian descent in respect of aviation training in the US.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with the US administration on this subject, and there is no indication that British citizens of Asian descent are treated differently than any other group seeking aviation training in the US.

Pakistan

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government have provided to help facilitate free and fair elections in Pakistan in 2007.

Kim Howells: In January, the Department for International Development announced the allocation of 3.5 million to support the electoral process during Pakistan's forthcoming general elections.
	We look forward to free and fair elections in Pakistan in 2007. We have welcomed the appointment of an Independent Electoral Commissioner, and are pleased to provide support for the electoral process.

EU Constitution

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on proposals for the EU constitution under the German presidency.

Geoff Hoon: Following an extended period of reflection, EU institutional reform will be discussed at the forthcoming European Council.
	As part of the continuing negotiations in the run up to that meeting, we have made clear to our EU partners that the EU should agree an amending treaty that makes the EU more effective and better able to deliver practical benefits to EU citizens. Such an approach would be consistent with the way in which treaty change has been agreed in the past.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with which EU counterparts she has discussed the extent of trafficking of women and children within the EU in the last 12 months.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed this issue with EU counterparts in the months before the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the EU. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary also raised the issue with EU colleagues in March, when the UK signed the Council of Europe Convention on Trafficking Human Beings and published its Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking.
	The UK remains concerned about all forms of people trafficking globally and is committed to tackling it.

Albania: EC Enlargement

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her Albanian counterpart on EU accession for that country.

Geoff Hoon: The Government have regular discussions with the Government of Albania on EU accession. I last met the Albanian Ambassador on 8 March and discussed, among other things, Albania's EU Stabilisation and Association Agreement and the progress Albania was making towards EU integration. On 14 May our ambassador in Tirana called on Albania's new Foreign Minister, Lulzim Basha, and discussed a range of issues including EU integration.

Bank Sepah

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken by the United Kingdom following UN Security Council Resolution 1747's designation of Iranian state-owned Bank Sepah and Bank Sepah International; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Balls: I have been asked to reply.
	Bank Sepah Iran and Bank Sepah International (its UK subsidiary) were designated at the United Nations on 24 March 2007. Following the adoption of UNSCR 1747, their assets in the UK were frozen immediately under the terms of the UK's Iran (Financial Sanctions) Order 2007. The Bank of England, at the Treasury's direction, provided public notification of the sanctions via its website.
	UNSCR 1737 provides that payments due to third parties under prior contracts (i.e. those concluded before the designation) are exempt from the asset freeze, where the relevant state has determined thatthe payments are not connected with proliferationor designated persons. The resolution also makes provision for the licensing of basic and extraordinary expenses, subject to UN approval.
	The Treasury has been working to give effect to these provisions in a way that ensures that sanctions are applied robustly, while minimising the impact on innocent third parties. Having notified the UN, and, where appropriate, obtained its approval, on 17 April the Treasury issued a licence allowing Bank Sepah International to make routine payments, such as staff salaries or payment of suppliers. The licence includeda number of safeguards to ensure no prohibited payments are made.
	On 24 May, the Treasury issued a number of licences allowing Bank Sepah International to make payments under certain letters of credit issued by the bank prior to its designation and to certain high-value depositors, subject to safeguards.
	On 31 May, HM Treasury granted a general licence authorising UK companies and individuals to receive payments due to them under prior contracts with branches of Bank Sepah in the European economic area, where these payments have been duly authorised by the competent authority in the EEA state concerned.
	Information notices on Iranian financial sanctions are published on HM Treasury's website:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/financial_services/money/fin_crime_sanctions.cfm

Botswana: Ethnic Groups

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she is making to the government of Botswana on its adherence to the 2006 High Court ruling to allow the Bushmen of the Kalahari to return to their ancestral homeland in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Geoff Hoon: We welcome the government of Botswana's early decision to accept the court's determination over the return of the San (bushmen) to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). We encourage them to take an inclusive approach to finding a sustainable solution to the future use of the CKGR through dialogue and negotiation with the San people. Our high commission in Gaborone raised this most recently on 12 April. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, Mr. McCartney, will also discuss this matter during his planned trip to Botswana from 7 to 8 June.

Burma

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with other European Foreign Ministers on the situation in Burma; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and her EU colleagues issued a statement at the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting in Luxembourg on 23 April expressing their deep concern over the situation in Burma. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Mr. McCartney) joined EU Ministers and Asian counterparts in issuing a further statement about Burma at the Asia/Europe Foreign Ministers' meeting in Hamburg on 29 May.

Burma: EC External Trade

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Burma will be included in the trade agreement being negotiated between the EU and ASEAN; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Burma will not benefit from the proposed EU-Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) under its current regime. The mandate to negotiate the FTA was agreed by the EU at the 23 April General Affairs and External Relations Council. The UK and like-minded member states were instrumental in securing language within the Council conclusions and the mandate which will have the effect of excluding Burma from the EU/ASEAN FTA.

Central Asia: Diplomatic Service

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in each UK mission in each of the five central Asian republics are dedicated to commercial activity.

Geoff Hoon: There are currently around three staff (full-time equivalents) dealing with commercial matters in Kazakhstan. There are no staff engaged on UK Trade and Investment work in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan.

Chevening Scholarships Programme

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Chevening scholarships were awarded to overseas students in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Geoff Hoon: In financial year (FY) 2004-05 a total of 2,211 Chevening scholarships were awarded to overseas students.
	In FY 2005-06 the total was 1,885.

China: Human Rights

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her Chinese counterpart on human rights in China; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We regularly raise human rights with the Chinese government, including at the highest levels. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised a number of human rights concerns during her visit to China in May, where she again met with Chinese Premier Wen and also with the newly appointed Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, Ian McCartney, raised human rights in his introductory meeting with the new Chinese Ambassador at the end of May.

Departments: Data Protection

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times her Department was found to have been in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Depending on their nature, breaches by Government Departments of the Data Protection Act 1998 can be dealt with by the Information Commissioner, the Courts or by Departments at an informal local level. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Legal Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent by her Department on legal fees in each of the last five years.

Margaret Beckett: The amount spent by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on legal fees in respect of counsel and solicitors in private practice by way of disbursements through the Treasury Solicitor, the bulk of our external legal costs, in each of the past five years is as follows:
	
		
			
			 2002-03 697,878.22 
			 2003-04 204,366.75 
			 2004-05 331,731.68 
			 2005-06 328,378.29 
			 2006-07 387,591.16 
		
	
	The FCO does not hold information on aggregate amounts of other external fees.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was raised from the sale of departmental property in each of the last five years.

Geoff Hoon: The following amounts were raised from the sale of Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) property in each of the last five financial years. 100 per cent. of the FCO's estate sales receipts have been reinvested in the estate since 2005-06:
	
		
			  Financial year  Total sale receipts 
			 2002-03 12,378,000 
			 2003-04 26,107,000 
			 2004-05 10,574,000 
			 2005-06 17,798,000 
			 2006-07(1) 55,520,000 
			 (1) Sale of properties until 31 December 2006.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was received by her Department from the letting of its properties in each of the last five years.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has service level agreements (SLAs) with other Government Departments (OGDs) that set out the basis on which the FCO charges for accommodation and related services at our posts overseas. Where appropriate we also sign separate leases covering individual lettings under the general terms of the SLAs. There are also cases when we grant leases to individual tenants.
	The total amounts received under these leases are listed as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Costs identified from leasing agreements () 
			 2001-02 1,221,000 
			 2002-03 1,530,000 
			 2003-04 2,679,000 
			 2004-05 1,836,000 
			 2005-06 1,626,000 
		
	
	In addition to the figures in the table, the FCO recovered 713,000 from OGDs in capital and depreciation charges in lieu of rent for property lettings in financial year 2005-06. Details of the amounts recovered in the previous four years are not held centrally and to calculate them would incur disproportionate cost.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what properties her Department  (a) owned and  (b) rented in each of the last five years.

Geoff Hoon: The following table details the number of properties owned and rented centrally by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office over the last five financial years. Details on locally leased staff houses and flats are not included. These are locally leased by postsand compiling the information would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Financial Year  2002 - 03  2003 - 04  2004 - 05  2005 - 06  2006 - 07 
			   Owned  Rented  Owned  Rented  Owned  Rented  Owned  Rented  Owned  Rented 
			 Offices 189 222 193 228 198 220 201 221 206 211 
			 Residence of a Head of Post 167 77 159 85 158 86 152 79 147 71 
			 Other residential 1,163 14 1,130 9 1,123 9 1,103 11 1,128 14 
			 Ancillary or amenity 263 94 298 74 314 75 370 79 424 92 
			 Total 1,782 407 1,780 396 1,793 390 1,826 390 1,905 388 
			  Note: Owned includes freehold and ground leasehold properties; Rented includes operating leases and loaned properties;

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost of leasing buildings and office space was for  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years.

Geoff Hoon: The total amount paid in rent for office space, residential accommodation and other buildings for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Wilton Park Executive Agency for the last five financial years for which figures are available are listed in the table. FCO Services became an Executive Agency of the FCO on 1 April 2006 and is included in the FCO figures.
	
		
			   
			   FCO Overseas  FCO UK  Wilton Park 
			 2001-02 61,495,000 1,136,000 75,000 
			 2002-03 61,817,000 1,238,000 77,500 
			 2003-04 65,124,000 1,439,000 80,000 
			 2004-05 63,682,000 1,867,000 82,500 
			 2005-06 68,963,000 1,004,000 85,000

Departments: Recruitment

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much her Department and its agencies paid to recruitment consultants in each year since 1997.

Geoff Hoon: The following costs relate to services provided by consultants to both the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and FCO Services (an executive agency of the FCO):
	
		
			   Costs () 
			  April 2001 to March 2002  
			 FCO Services recruitment 94,487 
			 FCO recruitment 1,437,389 
			   
			  April 2002 to March 2003  
			 FCO Services recruitment 40,873 
			 FCO recruitment 666,630 
			   
			  April 2003 to March 2004  
			 FCO Services recruitment 17,855 
			 FCO recruitment 763,675 
			   
			  April 2004 to March 2005  
			 FCO Services recruitment 42,334 
			 FCO recruitment 314,741 
			   
			  April 2005 to March 2006  
			 FCO Services recruitment 64,717 
			 FCO recruitment 854,853 
			   
			  April 2006 to March 2007  
			 FCO Services recruitment 101,892 
			 FCO recruitment 1,294,359 
		
	
	Information on recruitment consultants costs prior to April 2001 have not been provided as this would incur disproportionate cost.

Egypt: Politics and Government

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the ability of opposition political parties in Egypt to be able to operate freely in accord with accepted international standards.

Kim Howells: The picture is mixed: while there have been some positive developments, opposition parties are in practice considerably more constrained than the ruling National Democratic Party.
	Specifically, several new parties were licensed in 2004 and 2005 and in May this year a licence was granted to the new Democratic Front Party. But applications from a number of other parties were refused earlier in the year on the grounds that they did not meet the technical requirements. Most political parties operate their own newspapers. All licensed parties were allowed to put forward a candidate in the presidential elections in 2005. Other political movements have managed to secure election to the People's Assembly as independents. A number of parties have declined to run candidates in the Shura Council elections this June.

Global Opportunities Fund

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries were eligible for human rights projects funding under the Global Opportunities Fund in each of the last five years.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 4 June 2007
	The current Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Global Opportunities Fund (GOF) Human Rights Programme is global. Priority countries are identified through strategies on the key human rights issues the programme addresses: abolition of the death penalty, child rights, criminal justice and freedom of expression. In 2007-08, over 50 countries are eligible as priorities for one or more of the key issues. A full list can be found in the GOF Human Rights Strategy at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/GOF_%20HR_ProgrammeStrategy07-08.pdf
	The GOF Sustainable Development Programme (2005-07) had 30 eligible countries for human rights projects. The GOF Human Rights, Democracy and Good Governance Programme (2004-05) targeted countries under each of its thematic priorities, but did not establish a list of eligible countries.
	All GOF programmes have the flexibility to be able to respond to project proposals from any country, if the proposal has a clear regional impact or can act as a pilot project.
	Several other GOF programmes such as Reuniting Europe and Engaging with the Islamic World also support some human rights projects. Funding for human rights related activities is also provided from our Public Diplomacy Fund, Chevening Programme, the Global Conflict Prevention Pool and Directorate Programme Budgets. The FCO also provides grant-in-aid to organisations that carry out human rights related activity such as the BBC World Service, the British Council and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.

Ilois: Resettlement

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will review the Government's policy in relation to the British Indian Ocean Territory in the light of the recent Appeal Court decision concerning the Chagos Islanders; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Ministers will consider the 23 May judgment of the Court of Appeal carefully and have in this regard asked officials for further advice. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary reserves the right to petition the House of Lords to grant permission to appeal, as she is entitled to do within one month. The Government's policy in relation to the British Indian Ocean Territory therefore remains the subject of possible ongoing legal proceedings and it would be inappropriate to comment further.

Ilois: Resettlement

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Chagossians will be permitted to return to the Chagos Islands.

Geoff Hoon: The effect of the 23 May judgement of the Court of Appeal is that the Chagossians may return to the Chagos Islands without prior authorisation, with the exception of Diego Garcia.

Ilois: Resettlement

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will take steps to ensure that the inhabitants of the Chagos Islands who were deported will be given the opportunity for  (a) compensation and  (b) other remedy.

Geoff Hoon: The Chagossians have already received compensation to the value of 14.5 million at today's prices through two payments made in the early 1970s and 1982.
	In 2004, the Court of Appeal accepted these payments as being in full and final settlement of all claims.

Iraq: Capital Punishment

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the government of Iraq on its use of the death penalty.

Kim Howells: Since the Iraqi interim government re-introduced the death penalty with effect from7 August 2004, the United Kingdom, together with the European Union, has regularly raised our policy of opposition to the use of the death penalty at the highest level, including with the Iraqi President and Prime Minister. Most recently we have pressed the government of Iraq regarding the cases of a number of women sentenced to death and following Amnesty International's 2007 report (published in April) which highlighted the increasing use of the death penalty in Iraq.

Iraq: Internally Displaced Persons

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to assist Iraqis who are currently displaced inside and outside Iraq.

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
	We are very concerned about the increasing number of people displaced by the Iraq conflict. We are working closely with the UN and the Red Cross to ensure that humanitarian agencies are adequately resourced.
	In 2007, DFID has provided 10 million in support of humanitarian relief efforts to help vulnerable groups, including those displaced in Iraq and across the region. This includes a 7 million contribution to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC);a 1 million contribution to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support internally displaced people; a 1.5 million contribution to the UN High Commission for Refugees' (UNHCR) appeal to support displaced Iraqis in the region; and a 500,000 contribution towards the setting up of a UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) coordination office in Amman and Baghdad, to help support the Iraqi government's efforts and facilitate a coherent international response to the situation. Since 2003, we have contributed over 125 million for humanitarian assistance to Iraq.

Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the United States Administration on the future of Ashraf City, Iraq.

Kim Howells: Officials from our embassy in Baghdad have discussed the future of Camp Ashraf in the course of regular contacts with their US counterparts. We have made it clear both to the US and to the Government of Iraq that any future action taken in relation to the camp should respect the rights of the individuals involved.

Kosovo

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her Serbian counterpart on the future of Kosovo.

Geoff Hoon: I discussed the Kosovo Status Process with President Tadic, Prime Minister Kostunica and Foreign Minister Draskovic in Belgrade on 7 February. I also spoke to President Tadic following the formation of Serbia's new government on 15 May. The Political Director at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office discussed Kosovo with President Tadic, Prime Minister Kostunica and several of Serbia's new ministerial team during a visit to Belgrade on 21 May.

Overseas Aid: Human Rights

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which sources of funding are available for human rights and good governance work within her Department's budget; and how much was provided under each budget line in each of the last five years.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 4 June 2007
	For financial year 2007-08, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Global Opportunities Fund (GOF) Human Rights Programme has a budget of 3.2 million. Its predecessor, the GOF Sustainable Development Fund had a budget of 3.2 million in 2006-07 and 3.5 million in 2005-06. The GOF Human Rights, Democracy and Good Governance Programme had a budget of 3.5 million in 2004-05. The Human Rights Project Fund had a budget of 8.5 million in 2003-04 and 7.4 million in 2002-03.
	Since the establishment of the GOF, some of the regional GOF programmes such as Reuniting Europe and Engaging with the Islamic World have also supported human rights work as well as the human rights programme itself.
	Funding for human rights related activities is also provided from our Public Diplomacy Fund, Chevening Programme, the Global Conflict Prevention Pooland Directorate Programme Budgets. The FCO also provides grant-in-aid to organisations that carry out human rights related activity such as the BBC World Service, the British Council and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. The Westminster Foundation for Democracy received 4.16 million as a grant-in-aid in 2002-03 and has received 4.1 million in each subsequent year.
	All of these funds contribute to and support the FCO's lobbying and advocacy work for human rights through our network of embassies and missions around the world.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations her Department has made to the Government of Pakistan on the draft Apostasy Bill in that country.

Kim Howells: We regularly raise our human rights concerns with the Government of Pakistan, including those pertaining to legislation affecting religious minorities. Officials from our high commission in Islamabad will continue to monitor the progress of the draft Apostasy Bill. Together with our EU partners,we will continue to encourage the Government of Pakistan to treat all citizens fairly in the interests of equality.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations her Department has made to the Government of Pakistan over the treatment of Christians in Charsadda, North-West Frontier Province.

Kim Howells: We regularly raise our concerns over the situation of religious minorities with the Government of Pakistan, bilaterally and together with our EU partners. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our high commission in Islamabad are aware of this case, and will continue to monitor the situation.

Sri Lanka: Human Rights

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.

Kim Howells: As I told the House during thedebate on Sri Lanka on 2 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 1551-57, repeated incidents of intimidation, disappearances, extra-judicial killings and violence by paramilitary groups in Sri Lanka are a matter of serious concern to the UK and our international partners. Tragically, it is innocent civilians who continue to bear the brunt of the deteriorating human rights situation.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I have made clear to the Government of Sri Lanka the need to bring to an end the culture of impunity and to investigate fully and transparently allegations of human rights violations to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice. We shall continue to raise our concerns with the Sri Lankan Government and to draw attention to the shameful human rights record of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Sudan: Peace Keeping Operations

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in deploying an effective peacekeeping force to protect civilians in Darfur.

Geoff Hoon: An effective peacekeeping force is needed to protect citizens in Darfur. All parties agreed in Addis Ababa in November last year that this would involve a phased increase of UN support to the African Union (AU) Mission in Sudan (AMIS) culminating in a joint AU-UN hybrid force. We are pressing the AU and UN to ensure that this force is effective and deployed as soon as possible.
	The initial stage of UN assistance to AMIS (the Light Support Package) is approximately 80 per cent. deployed. The Government of Sudan have agreed the 3,000 strong second stage (the Heavy Support Package) and the UN is generating the required personnel and assets.
	The details of the hybrid force are being agreed between the AU and UN. The Government of Sudan must accept the hybrid and facilitate its deployment.If they do not co-operate, we will be prepared to introduce tougher sanctions.

Zimbabwe: UN Commission on Sustainable Development

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her European counterparts on the election of the Zimbabwean Environment and Tourism Minister, Francis Nhema, as Chairman of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD); whether he remains subject to a travel ban under the EU Council Common Position 2007/120/CFSP, 19 February 2007; and whether Mr. Nhema will be denied entry to, or transit through, European Union member states when travelling on UNCSD business.

Margaret Beckett: The EU called for the vote against the nomination of Francis Nhema as chairman of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and the UK, with 20 other EU and like-minded states, voted against his candidacy. On behalf of all EU member states, the EU presidency made a statement following the vote which expressed deep concern that a representative from Zimbabwe should become chair as this will have a negative impact on the Commission's work and on the Commission's credibility. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, and my hon. Friend the Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Ian Pearson, on behalf of the Government, have since publicly condemned the decision to appoint a Zimbabwe Minister to this position.
	Francis Nhema remains subject to a travel ban under the EU Common Position and will be denied a visa to visit or transit EU member states, unless one of the exemptions covered by Article 4 of the Council Common Position 2004/161/CFSP applies. A copy of this document will be placed in the Library of the House.

British Corps

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress his Department has made in developing the British Corps to work on global environmental challenges referred to in his announcement of 31 January 2005.

Stephen Timms: On 31 January 2005, the Chancellor gave a speech at the HM Treasury Volunteering Conference, marking the beginning of the Year of the Volunteer. The Chancellor referred to a number of volunteering initiatives, including the work of the Russell Commission on how to inspire 1 million more young volunteers. The Russell Commission reported in March 2005 and the Government are implementing the recommendations through investment in a new youth volunteering organisation v. In its first year, v generated 100,000 volunteering opportunities for young people.

Debts: Developing Countries

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he had on vulture funds at the recent G8 finance meeting; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: As the Chancellor set out in his parliamentary statement of 10 May 2007,  Official Report, column 16WS, the Government deplore the actions of so-called vulture funds and is determined to limit the damage done by such funds.
	The Chancellor raised this issue with his G8 colleagues at their meeting in Potsdam on 19 May, and set out the Government's proposals for action. G8 Ministers expressed their concern about the actions of some litigating creditors against heavily indebted poor countries, and agreed to work together to identify measures to tackle this problem, based on the work of the Paris Club.
	The Paris Club met on 22 May and discussed the issues. They have confirmed their commitment to the full implementation of the HIPC initiative; to avoiding selling their claims on HIPC countries to other creditors who do not intend to provide debt relief under the HIPC initiative; and, in co-operation with the relevant international institutions, Paris Club creditors have agreed to intensify their work on this issue with a view to identify concrete measures to tackle this problem. See:
	http://www.clubdeparis.org/sections/services/communiques/communique-presse-du/viewLanguage/en

Debts: Developing Countries

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what loans have received debt relief from the UK; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what outstanding UK Government loans to other states there are.

Edward Balls: The UK Government are committed to the full implementation of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, going beyond the requirements of the initiative by giving 100 per cent. flow relief at Decision Point and 100 per cent. debt stock cancellation at Completion Point. The UK also holds in trust any loan repayments made since 2000 by HIPC countries, who have not yet begun to receive debt relief under the HIPC Initiative, and returns them at HIPC Completion Point.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) no longer gives official development assistance in the form of loans. The Government cancelled existing aid loans to the poorest countries under its Retrospective Terms Adjustment (RTA) policy, and under the Commonwealth Debt Initiative delivers debt relief to the poorest Commonwealth countries committed to poverty reduction. The few outstanding loans are to countries that were middle or high income countries at the time the loans were cancelled.
	In 1999, a portfolio of loans to public sectorand parastatal bodies previously held by the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) were transferred to DFID following CDC's part privatisation. For HIPC countries, repayments are held in trust until countries qualify for the HIPC Initiative, then payments are suspended and the loans are cancelled once they complete the HIPC process.
	The UK's Export Credit Guarantee Department (ECGD) does not make loans to other states. ECGD guarantees payment for specific contracts involving UK suppliers. Over time, ECGD has made a number of corresponding payments to lenders in respect of these guarantees, and some of these have been consolidated into Debt Agreements with particular debtor countries, although these do not constitute loans. In this regard ECGD has delivered significant amounts of debt relief through the Paris Club.
	I also refer the hon. Member to my answer of19 February 2007,  Official Report, column 474W, which sets out the debt cancellation granted by ECGD since 2004, and the answers given by the Secretary of State for International Development on 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 743W, which sets out the debt cancellation that the CDC Group and the Department for International Development have given since 2004.

Debts: Developing Countries

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the responsible lenders charter.

Edward Balls: The UK has been a leading proponent of international efforts to relieve the debt burden of the poorest and most heavily indebted countries, to free up resources for poverty reduction. Over the last 10 years, 30 heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs) have received debt relief worth more than $100 million, and another 10 countries could qualify for debt relief when they meet the criteria.
	Access to new finance can play an important rolein supporting economic growth in HIPC countries. Borrowers and lenders have a joint responsibility in ensuring that new lending supports sustainable economic development. In this context, we welcome the development of a charter for responsible lending and will continue to work with our international partners to take this forward.

Departments: Correspondence

Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter from Reverend Brian Fortnum of St. Mark's Church, Tunbridge Wells, dated 23 March 2007, on the impact of the budget on Gift Aid.

Edward Balls: holding answer 4 June 2007
	 There is no record of this correspondence being received. A copy of Mr. Fortnum's letter has been provided by the hon. Member and a reply will be sent as soon as possible.

Departments: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of his Department's special advisers were on  (a) paid and  (b) unpaid leave in order to assist with party political matters under section 22(iii) of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers on 16 May; and how many days' leave each adviser was granted.

John Healey: Special advisers' involvement in party political matters is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, including section 22(iii), and the guidance issued by the Cabinet Secretary in December 2006 and May 2007, copies of which are in the Libraries of the House.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what properties the Department  (a) owned and  (b) rented in each of the last five years.

John Healey: HM Treasury owns 1 Horse Guards road, London and until 2004-05 it also owned 100 Parliament street, London.
	HM Treasury rents 11 Downing street, London from the Cabinet Office and also rents a disaster recovery site at 51 Nine Elms Lane, London from the Stationery Office. Until 2002-03, it rented Allington Towers, London.

Departments: Renewable Energy

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much energy in kilowatt hours was purchased by his Department from renewable sources in each year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

John Healey: During 2005-06, all of the 7,594,476 kWh of electricity consumed in 1 Horse Guards Road, which houses the Treasury and other occupiers, was obtained from renewable sources. For previous years, I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb) andto the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on19 July 2004,  Official Report, column 38W and10 October 2005,  Official Report, column 288, respectively.

Departments: Water

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the water consumption in cubic metres was of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each year since 1997-98.

John Healey: The amount of water supplied to1 Horse Guards Road, occupied by the Treasury and other Departments, was as follows:
	2004-05: 19,737,000 cubic metres
	2005-06: 22,041,000 cubic metres
	2006-07: 18,307,000 cubic metres
	Information for the Treasury for previous years is not available. The Debt Management Office, as tenants in a managed building, pay a service charge, which includes water and other utilities; separate consumption figures are not available.

EC Budget

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was contributed to the EU budget by each country that is a member of the European Free Trade Area in each of the last five years.

Edward Balls: The Treasury does not compile statistics on the contributions to the EC budget which are made by members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Statistics on such contributions can be found in the annual reports of the EFTA secretariat which can be found on the EFTA website:
	www.efta.int.

Imports: Burma

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what products were imported from Burma in each of the last five years; and what the value was of those imports;
	(2)  what the level of British imports was from Burma in each of the last five years.

John Healey: Information available on the imports from Burma into the UK are published in the Overseas Trade Statistics by HM Revenue and Customs, which are available in the Library of the House and via www.uktradeinfo.com.

Pensioners: North East Region

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pensioners there are  (a) in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland,  (b) on Teesside and  (c) in the North East; and what percentage of the population in these areas is made up of pensioners.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 5 June 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question regarding how many pensioners there are (a) in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, (b) on Teesside and (c) in the North East; and what percentage of the population in these areas is made up of pensioners. I am replying in her absence. (139938)
	I am unable to provide an estimate of the number of pensioners in (a) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland parliamentary constituency and (b) Teesside as population estimates are not available for these areas.
	Table 1 shows the number and proportion of the North East Government Office Region resident population aged over state pension age. These data are calculated from the estimates of the population at mid-2005 and are the latest available.
	
		
			  Table 1: North East GORTotal population, number and percentage of the population of pensionable age 
			  Area  Total population  Population over state pension age( 1)  Percentage of population over state pension age( 1) 
			 North East 2,558,000 498,000 19 
			 (1) Females aged 60 and over and males aged 65 and over  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000.  Source: Office for National Statistics

Personal Income

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average income was in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West,  (c) England and  (d) the UK in each year since 1979.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 5 June 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about average income in Cornwall, the South West, England and the United Kingdom. I am replying in her absence. (140558)
	The Office for National Statistics published estimates of income for the household sector(1) for regions and local areas of the UK in March 2007. Estimates are available back to 1995 and the latest year available is 2005. Published estimates for Cornwall alone do not exist. Figures for the NUTS2 region Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are supplied instead.
	Table A, attached below, contains estimates of total incomes per head and gross disposable household income (GDHI) per head for the four regions over the period 1995-2005.
	(1) The household sector is the combination of households and non-profit institutions serving households.
	
		
			  Table A 
			   per head( 1) 
			   Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly NUTS2  South West NUTS1  England  United Kingdom 
			   Total income( 2)  GDHI( 3)  Total income( 2)  GDHI( 3)  Total income( 2)  GDHI( 3)  Total income( 2)  GDHI( 3) 
			 1995 11,222 7,737 12,811 8,604 13,215 8,679 12,974 8,576 
			 1996 11,662 8,127 13,318 9,061 13,768 9,174 13,506 9,050 
			 1997 12,082 8,516 13,910 9,567 14,476 9,751 14,177 9,602 
			 1998 12,690 8,768 14,738 9,906 15,413 10,135 15,067 9,966 
			 1999 13,045 9,083 15,262 10,301 16,026 10,564 15,650 10,377 
			 2000 13,800 9,570 16,138 10,806 17,014 11,124 16,611 10,926 
			 2001 14,609 10,277 17,011 11,508 17,906 11,819 17,485 11,610 
			 2002 15,105 10,665 17,537 11,868 18,399 12,151 17,988 11,953 
			 2003 15,773 11,152 18,312 12,367 19,167 12,630 18,750 12,432 
			 2004 16,510 11,518 19,137 12,718 20,037 1.2,990 19,605 12,797 
			 2005 17,586 12,074 20,326 13,258 21,223 13,494 20,775 13,302 
			 (1) Population measure is based upon mid-year estimate for total population. (2) All household income including employers' social contributions, imputed social contributions, social benefits and other current transfers received. (3) Gross disposable household income (GDHI) is the amount of money that households have available for spending or saving after deductions and expenditure associated with income, e.g. taxes and social contributions, and provision for future pension income.  Note: NUTSNomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics.

Post Office Card Account

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the successor to the Post Office Card Account will be able to pay tax credits.

Stephen Timms: Tax credit and child benefit customers will be able to receive their payments through the successor to the existing Post Office card account.

Public Sector: Females

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect efficiency savings measures are having on the participation of women in the public sector work force; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Departments are responsible for monitoring and managing the impact of their work force reduction and efficiency programmes.
	The latest ONS figures for Q4 2006 show that 54 per cent. of Britain's civil servants are women.

Taxation

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was collected  (a) in total and  (b) per head of the population by HM Revenue and Customs from residents of (i) London, (ii) Wales, (iii) Northern Ireland and (iv) Scotland in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what Government spending was in each area (A) in total and (B) per head of population in the same period.

John Healey: Total and per capita tax revenue and Government expenditure data is not available at a regional level. Sources of the most relevant and available data are shown as follows.
	The ONS publish estimates of income tax, council taxes and vehicle taxes paid by households by region, available at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/Results_Tables_Values.xls
	The relevant data can be found under D.5 Current taxes on income, wealth etc. in table 2:8.
	Regional stamp duty receipts attributable to residential property are published by HMRC, available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/stamp_duty/table15-2.pdf
	No corresponding information is available on taxes paid by companies and other organisations, or on other taxes paid by households. Total public spending that can be identified as benefiting a particular country or region is published in table 9.1 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 20075 available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/41C/6A/pesa07_chapter9.pdf
	The equivalent per capita information can be found in table 9.2. Public spending can be split into that which can be identified as benefiting a particular country or region and that which is for the benefit of the UK as a whole, for example defence spending. Therefore, the figures in PESA do not represent total public spending, which is not available by region.
	The Scottish Executive also produces an annual publication 'Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland'. This is available at:
	http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/12/11084016/0

Taxation: Alcoholic Drinks

Julie Morgan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was received by his Department from tax on alcohol products in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The duty receipts for alcohols products can be found in the HM Revenue and Customs Beer  Cider Bulletin, Made Wine Bulletin, Spirits Bulletin and Wine of Fresh Grape Bulletin, which are available from the HM Revenue and Customs website addresses at:
	http://www.uktradeinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?task=bullbeer
	http://www.uktradeinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?task=bullmadewine
	http://www.uktradeinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?task=bullspirits
	http://www.uktradeinfo.co.uk/index.cfm?task=bullfreshgrape
	HM Revenue and Customs do not collect data on VAT from individual goods and services.

Taxation: Arts

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance has been given to local authorities on the deduction of tax at source from the remuneration payable to self-employed contractors in the arts field; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: Self-employed contractors in the arts field can come within the terms of the Construction Industry Scheme if the work they undertake constitutes construction operations which are not wholly artistic in nature, such as stained glass windows. Unless contractors have gross payment status under the scheme, payments to them must be made subject to a deduction on account of their liability to income tax and national insurance contributions. No guidance on this point has been issued specifically to local authorities, but guidance on the matter is publicly available on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/cisrmanual/CISR14080.htm.

Taxation: Bingo

Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the impact on the bingo industry of charging both gross profits tax and VAT on bingo clubs since 2003;
	(2)  if he will take steps to provide temporary rate relief to bingo clubs to assist in their transition to becoming smoke-free on 1 July 2007.

John Healey: The Government's policy of applying VAT and duty on bingo participation fees is consistent with our treatment of other player-to-player gaming in licensed premises, such as poker played in casinos.
	Revenues from gambling taxes are published inthe HM Revenue and Customs Betting, Gamingand Lottery Duties Bulletin, available at: http://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bullbett and total VAT receipts are published in the Financial Statement and Budget Report, but are not broken down by industry.

Taxation: Fuels

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance is provided to  (a) port authorities and  (b) the operators of local authority pier facilities on the tax and duty regimes applied on the sale of marine fuel at each category of location.

John Healey: HM Revenue and Customs publish the requirements on suppliers of marine fuels in various public notices which are available at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/, the most relevant being:
	Notice 263, Marine Voyages
	Notice 192, Registered dealers in controlled oils
	Notice 172, Excise duty drawbackships and aircraft stores.
	Port authorities and the operators of local pier facilities will be subject to these requirements if they supply fuel. However, no distinction is made between these locations.

Taxation: Trusts

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the tax residence of trustees was defined  (a) before and  (b) after the 2006 Finance Act; when the new rules took effect; and what estimate he has made of the expected effect on revenues.

Stephen Timms: Up to 5 April 2007, separate definitions of trustee residence applied for income tax and capital gains tax.
	For income tax purposes a trust was a UK resident trust if:
	all the trustees were UK resident or
	some trustees were UK resident and some trustees were non-UK resident; and
	the settlor of the trust was domiciled, resident or ordinarily resident in the UK when the trust was made or assets were added to it.
	For capital gains tax purposes a trust was a UK resident trust unless:
	the general administration of the trust was ordinarily carried on outside the UK and
	the trustees or a majority of the trustees were for the time being not resident or not ordinarily resident in the UK.
	Where the trustees included professional trustees and all the property was provided or derived from property provided by a person who, at the time the property was provided, was domiciled and resident outside the UK, the professional trustees would be deemed not to be UK resident. Where, deeming such trustees to be non-UK resident, all the trustees, or a majority of them, were non-UK resident, the general administration of the trust was deemed to be carried on outside the UK so that the trust was non-resident for capital gains tax purposes.
	As part of the Trust Modernisation programme, which aimed for a greater consistency of approach between income tax and capital gains tax in relation to the taxation of trusts, a common residence test has been adopted for the purposes of both income tax and tax on chargeable gains.
	With effect therefore from 6 April 2007, for both income tax and capital gains tax purposes, a trust is treated as resident and ordinarily resident in the UK at any time if:
	all the trustees are resident in the UK; or
	at least one trustee is resident in the UK, at least one trustee is not resident in the UK and any settlor was resident, ordinarily resident or domiciled in the UK when the trust was made or assets added to it.
	A trustee who is not resident in the UK shall be treated as if he were resident in the UK at any time when he acts as a trustee in the course of a business which he carries on in the United Kingdom through a branch, agency or permanent establishment.
	The estimate of the expected effect on revenues of this change is negligible.

Unemployment: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average monthly level of unemployment in Shrewsbury and Atcham was in  (a) 2004,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2006.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply
	 Letter from Dennis Roberts, dated 5 June 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the average monthly level of unemployment in Shrewsbury and Atcham was in (a) 2004, (b) 2005 and (c) 2006. I am replying in her absence. (140222)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	Table 1, attached, shows the numbers unemployed, andthe unemployment rates for the Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency, for the 12 months ending December 2004 and December 2005 (data for January to December 2006 are not yet available).
	As these estimates are for a subset of the population in a small geographical area, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty. Estimates of change from year to year should be treated with particular caution.
	ONS also compiles statistics for local areas on numbers of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). Table 2, attached, shows annual average numbers of people resident in the Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency, claiming JSA in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Table 2 also shows these numbers of claimants as percentages of the resident working age population.
	
		
			  Table 1: Unemployed persons, resident in the Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency 
			  12 months ending  Level ( T housand)  Rate( 1)  ( P ercentage) 
			 December 2004 2 3.1 
			 December 2005 2 3.6 
			 (1) Unemployed as a percentage of the economically active population of the age group.  Notes: 1. Estimates are subject to random variability. 2. Changes in the estimates over time should be treated with particular caution.  Source: Annual Population Survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Annual average number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance, resident in the Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency, and the number as percentage of the working population 
			   Number  Proportion ( P ercentage)( 1,2) 
			 2004 765 1.3 
			 2005 785 1.4 
			 2006 954 1.7 
			 (1) Number of claimants expressed as a percentage of the resident working-age population. (2) Proportions for parliamentary constituencies are based on 2001 Census data adjusted to be consistent with 2001 mid year population estimates for local authorities.

VAT: Financial Services

Mark Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultation his Department undertook with businesses within the City of London ahead of the change in policy in July 2006 which ceased the right of claimants from outside the European Union in the financial services and insurance sectors engaged in the supply of services to non-EU customers to recover VAT incurred on goods and services from UK suppliers.

Edward Balls: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1729W.
	In order to minimise the risk of forestalling, no pre-announcement was made and businesses were not consulted about the change. However, HM Revenue and Customs officials are discussing the issue with a number of representative bodies.

Welfare Tax Credits

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of people who received  (a) overpayments and  (b) underpayments of working tax credit and working family tax credit in (i) 2004-05 and (ii) 2005-06; what estimates he has made of those numbers in 2007-08; what percentage of the total number of people in receipt of credit these figures represented; how many people later had their overpayments disregarded in each year; what criteria were used to determine the disregard; how many people had their underpayments (A) corrected and (B) disregarded in each year; and what criteria were used to determine each;
	(2)  what percentage of tax credit customers in 2005-06 received  (a) overpayments and  (b) underpayments; and what percentage of underpayments were subsequently corrected.

Stephen Timms: Information on the number and proportion of families with an overpayment or underpayment in 2004-05 and 2005-06 is available in the publication Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Finalised annual awards 2005-06. Supplement on payment in 2005-06. This is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-payments-Q506.pdf
	HMRC does not have information on the number of people who had overpayments or underpayments written off in each year. Information on the amount of overpayment written off in each financial year is available in table 8.2 of the trust statement in the HMRC 2005-06 accounts. This is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true_pageLabel=pageVAT_ShowContentpropertvType=documentcolumns=1id=HMCE_PROD1_025710
	The criteria for writing off an overpayment is set out in Code of Practise 26What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit? which is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/cop26.htm
	HMRC does not forecast the number of people who receive an overpayment or underpayment, however we expect the package of reforms announced in the 2005 pre-Budget report to have a significant effect on reducing overpayments from 2007-08 onwards. Working families tax credit (WFTC) was replaced by working tax credit (WTC) and child tax credit (CTC) in April 2003.